CLIMATE activists gathered outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court over the weekend to show support for two women held in custody.

The Just Stop Oil supporters were arrested on Thursday evening after throwing red paint over the Queen Elizabeth Building in the Scottish capital.

The action was taken in response to the announcement by Westminster giving oil giant Shell the go-ahead to develop the Jackdaw gas field off the coast of Scotland.

It is the latest major fossil fuel project to have been approved since Britain hosted the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow last year.

Environmental scientist Jenn, 26, and political science student Su, 23, were due to be charged at the court today.

Su said: “New oil and gas is not the solution, it’s not providing energy security or dealing with the cost-of-living crisis.

“If this government really wanted that, they would be insulating homes and investing in renewables.

“We are demanding an affordable, reliable energy supply that doesn’t destroy the economy, doesn’t cause a cost-of-living crisis and doesn’t destroy the liveable planet for generations to come.

“I refuse to stand by as government policies cause countless millions of people to die.”