A PENSIONER has been arrested for allegedly protesting at an abortion centre – a first-of-its-kind case in Scotland.
The woman, 74, was nicked by cops just after 2pm today near Hardgate Clinic, Clydebank.
Officers were alerted to a group of protesters outside the venue and remain at the scene.
This is the first arrest in Scotland under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act 2024 which prohibits rallies within 200 metres of named premises.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Around 2.05pm on Wednesday, 19 February, 2025, we were made aware of a group of protesters at the Hardgate Road area of Glasgow.
“Officers attended and a 74-year-old woman was arrested in connection with a breach of the exclusion zone.
“Officers remain at the scene and enquiries are ongoing.”
John Swinney today hit back at JD Vance after the US Vice President claimed Scots who live near abortion clinics could be banned from praying in their own homes.
During a speech in Munich last week, Mr Vance said that “disturbing letters” had been sent to houses located within buffer zones warning citizens they could be breaking the law under legislation introduced last year.
But, he was accused of spreading misinformation, with the Scottish Government clarifying that only “intention or reckless behaviour” is covered under the law, which forbids protests within 200 metres of abortion hubs.
Speaking in Glasgow on Wednesday, the First Minister said: “JD Vance is just wrong, and that issue was extensively discussed in the course of the passage of the Bill.
“On the letter that was issued to households, his claims were wrong about that letter as well, and no such point was put across to residents whatsoever about private prayer.”
Speaking at a security conference, Donald Trump’s second-in-command referenced the legislation in Scotland as he suggested that free speech in the UK and across Europe is “in retreat”.
However, Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay, who spearheaded the law change, accused him of “shameless misinformation” over the letters that were sent out.
She added: “He is one of the most powerful people in the world but he is peddling total nonsense and dangerous scaremongering.
There is no mention of silent prayer, it’s about using your home to influence people going to seek an abortion.”
