Gaza protestors across Scotland are waiting to know if they'll be prosecuted as terrorists – a photo essay

It is more than two years since photographer Rayna Carruthers started documenting pro-Palestine protests in Glasgow and Edinburgh, staged in response to Israel’s blanket bombing of Gaza following the 7 October attacks by Hamas.

Carruther’s photographs for The Ferret, particularly in recent months, highlight a Scottish anti-war movement that's been heavily policed.

Across the UK, hundreds have been arrested under the Terrorism Act since the proscription of Palestine Action by the UK Government, the vast majority of whom were holding signs or placards deemed as supportive of Palestine Action.

Inviting or expressing support for a proscribed organisation carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, and Carruthers’ photos show the human side of protesters in Scotland, some of whom have been charged with alleged terrorism offences.

The Ferret found that more than 20 people in Scotland are still waiting to hear if their terrorism charges will proceed. Many had never been arrested before and they participated in peaceful protests.

Those charged include the Scottish screenwriter, Paul Laverty and Lizzie Eldridge, a writer and vice-president of Scottish Pen. Some of those arrested are mothers and pensioners, the oldest an 83-year-old man. Others have been charged with less serious offences not under the Terrorism Act.

Eleven people facing terrorism charges allegedly attended a Defend our Juries protest in Edinburgh on 6 September 2025. Nine of them were arrested at home in the days or weeks after the protest, one as recently as 29 October.

An appeal against the proscription of Palestine Action – lodged by human rights charities Amnesty International and Liberty – is due to be heard later this month. The Ferret understands that charges in Scotland are on hold pending the outcome of that hearing.

For those charged, the wait hangs heavy. According to the Network for police monitoring (Netpol), arrests under counter terrorism legislation have “wide-reaching effects on people's future employment, education and travel” and go far beyond the initial impact of an arrest and charge. But Kat Hobbs, a spokesperson for the campaign group insists while the threat of serious charges “is intended to scare people away from the streets”, the movement “shows no sign of letting up”.

In August, activists gathered on the steps of Buchanan Galleries, Glasgow, to protest in support of the people of Gaza. Attendees included Lizzie Eldridge who had been acquitted by a judge of charges levelled against her a few days earlier.

“I was always politically conscious,” says Eldridge, the vice-president of Scottish Pen. “I was teaching English in Malta but came back to Scotland in 2019. And then the genocide started happening in Palestine. I was thinking, ‘where are the demos?’ And that's how I got involved.”

Eldrige’s first arrest was on 2 November 2024, after a protest in Glasgow targeted Barclays bank for its business links to Israel. A young Palestinian woman who’d spoken at the demo was arrested, and after Eldrige objected she was arrested too and charged with obstructing the police.

“You're like, ‘oh my god, this is the first time in my life I've ever been arrested’,” she says. “They put us in a van and took us to Govan police station. I was told my bail conditions meant I could not go anywhere in the city centre.”

Eldridge’s initial court date was 28 January 2025 when she was advised there was also a charge of breaching the peace. There were five court appearances in total and on 6 August 2025 a sheriff gave her an absolute discharge and said “you are obviously a person of good character”.

Eldrige holds a Palestinian flag at a Glasgow protest and shouts "refugees are welcome here”. Her second arrest was in Aberdeen, in April, after she demonstrated against an Israeli player’s participation in the World Bowls Indoor Championship.

She was arrested again on 6 September 2025, this time at her home. It was a few days after a silent protest in Edinburgh when she wore a T-shirt which said: “Genocide in Palestine, time to take action”. She was charged under the Terrorism Act and could now face a prison sentence.

Cat Train from East Renfrewshire, has always been socially active, her campaigning often focussing on food justice or climate action. But after Israel started bombing Gaza, supporting the Palestine cause felt deeply urgent. She was drawn towards parents from Mothers Against the Genocide Scotland, a grassroots group of parents involved in protesting with their children. They make socks and on each one the name of a child killed in Gaza is written.

Train says she’s witnessed a heavy police presence at events. “I have seen policing that is mindful of the fact that this is a peaceful movement,” she acknowledges. “But the good instances are outweighed by the bad. I’ve seen police getting pushy and physical - it feels like they are trying to get a reaction. And I think arresting people wearing Palestine t-shirts and posters has backfired to be honest. People can see how ridiculous it is.”

In one incident, Train – pictured above with Mothers Against Genocide Scotland – witnessed someone being violently arrested in Glasgow and complained to police. “I was with my three children who are nine,eight and six and we were making origami doves and reading stories. It was very chilled and people were there to educate themselves. Suddenly we saw police vans screeching down the street as if there had been a full scale riot. My kids were terrified.”

Train's daughter is so traumatised by what she witnessed, she is often scared to go to sleep at night. “This experience has completely changed how I think about policing,” Train says.

The woman Train saw being arrested in Glasgow sustained a fractured knee bone and a severed leg tendon. She spoke to The Ferret about what happened but was unable to give an interview on the record as she faces a trial soon.

There have been claims of police violence at protests. Last month, the Scottish Community and Activist Legal Project and Netpol launched a report – From Scotland to Gaza – alleging police repeatedly misused police powers, and were intimidatory and discriminatory while policing in the year leading up to October 2024.

In response, Police Scotland says it is a "rights-based organisation" whose role is to ensure public safety while "balancing the rights of protesters" who wish to peacefully demonstrate. “We have a duty to ensure the safety of those protesting or counter-protesting alongside minimising any disruption to our communities," a police spokesperson told The Ferret. "Policing plans are put in place proportionately for protests and demonstrations and the dedication and professionalism of officers enable us to keep everyone safe."

Legal observers from the Scottish Community and Activist Legal Project monitor police activity at a Stand Up To Racism protest in Glasgow. It was attended by demonstrators from Glasgow Gaza Emergency Committee and the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Police wearing orange caps film crowds at a Stand Up To Racism protest in Glasgow on 26 July 2025.

Mick Napier, president and founding member of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, addresses a Gaza rally on Buchanan Steps, Glasgow. He recounts his recent arrest in Edinburgh and alleges police intimidation.

Napier was later acquitted of two charges following a seven day trial in Glasgow. The 78 year old had been accused of using threatening and abusive behaviour, and of alleged antisemitism. But the sheriff cleared Napier of both charges.

Mick Napier speaks to supporters outside Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Marie, a pro-Palestine activist, leads chants during a protest inside Glasgow Central Station. She had previously received a police caution, which will remain on her record for two years, following another demonstration in Kelso.

An activist called Dominic poses for a portrait following a Gaza protest at Mandela Place, Glasgow. He was first detained and charged for resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer and breach of the peace, during a demonstration against Keir Starmer, but later acquitted of all charges. He alleges the arrest which saw police restrain him with both handcuffs and leg restraints was violent.

He was arrested again in July for criminal damage and breach of the peace after applying hairspray to chalked protest slogans at a protest outside an army recruitment office in Glasgow.

Sarah, arrested on 15 September 2025, gives a speech outside St Leonards Police station, Edinburgh.

Protests can change things, say activists who spoke to The Ferret, and last month the Scottish Government announced it would recognise the Palestinian state and stop arms companies which supply Israel's military from getting grants and investment support.

A few weeks later Ivan McKee, Scottish minister for public finance, stood in front of hundreds of protestors gathered at Buchanan Street Steps, Glasgow, and acknowledged the power of ordinary people. “Keep holding us to account,” he told the crowd.

Sarah, in the centre wearing a brown hooded jacket, hugs a fellow activist in Edinburgh.

Paul Laverty, a screenwriter and lawyer, was charged for "showing support for a proscribed organisation" at a pro-Palestine protest in Edinburgh. Laverty is a long-term collaborator and friend of Ken Loach, who wrote the films I, Daniel Blake, Sweet Sixteen and The Wind That Shakes the Barley. He was charged over a T-shirt he wore at a protest outside St Leonards Police Station, Edinburgh.

It is just over one month since a tentative ceasefire was agreed in Gaza. The peace plan, which followed an intervention by US president Donald Trump, included a commitment by Hamas to return all hostages and for Israel to release about 100 Palestinian prisoners, stop the bombing and withdraw their troops.

Israel started bombing Gaza after an attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023 killed 1,200 people. Hamas also took 251 hostages that day. All the living hostages have now been released by Hamas, but Israel is still waiting for the remains of six dead hostages.

At time of writing, over 69,169 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli attacks since October 2023, according to health officials in Gaza. The death toll includes an estimated 20,000 children and 170,694 people have been wounded.

Israel has questioned those figures though claiming that because Hamas controls the government, officials cannot provide reliable information.

What happens next hangs in the balance. For the people of Gaza, there is uncertainty that the ceasefire won’t hold – fears shared by pro Palestinian protesters in Scotland who face anxiety until courts decide their fate.