Conservatives call for climate protestors who disrupted World Cycling Championships to feel the 'full weight of the law'

France's Benoit Cosnefroy leads a group of riders along George Square in Glasgow during day four of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow. Image: Tim Goode/PA Wire.

A group of protestors from This Is Rigged glued themselves to the road, forcing the UCI World Cycling Championships race to be halted for almost an hour

The Scottish Conservatives say the ‘full weight of the law’ should be brought down on climate change protesters who disrupted the UCI World Cycling Championships.

The elite men’s road race was held up for almost an hour on Sunday after the Scottish climate activist group This Is Rigged blocked the route.

Four protesters glued themselves to the B818 at Carron Valley Reservoir, blocking cyclists racing from Edinburgh to Glasgow.

This forced the race to be paused for almost an hour after cyclists had only completed around 80 of the 271 kilometres in the race.

This comes after This Is Rigged covered the Scottish Parliament in red paint to protest Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement of 100 new oil and gas exploration licences for the North Sea.

Police Scotland say five arrests were made, but the Scottish Conservatives say those who carried out this “childish” act must feel the full force of the law.

Graham Simpson MSP, the Conservatives’ net zero and transport spokesman, said: “This was a dangerous act of disruption which put both the protesters and athletes in this race at risk.

“It’s utterly nonsensical for a group which claims to stand for environmental protection to target an event promoting active, green travel like cycling - and raises a huge question mark about this publicity-seeking group’s true motives.

“The World Cycling Championships offers an enormous opportunity to advertise Glasgow, Scotland and the sport itself right across the world.

“Sadly, this has been marred by the selfish acts of a few individuals.

“People are sick and tired of these childish stunts.

“The full force of the law should be brought to bear on extremists who disrupt events and people’s everyday lives.”

The protesters said they chose to target the race because fossil fuel supporting companies had been allowed to sponsor a team in the race.

One of the protestors was 21-year-old student Cat, who said: “The fact that Ineos has been allowed to sponsor a team in the race around the Campsie Fells - which were engulfed in wildfires last month - is a disgrace and an insult to both the cycling community and the people of Scotland.

“We cannot continue with business as usual while our country burns and our futures are ruined.

“Time is of the essence more than ever, and the longer the Scottish Government takes to realise this, the more people will suffer as a result.

“Stand up to Westminster, no new oil and gas. Fair transition now.”

The group also vowed to escalate their campaign and “come back bigger and stronger than before”.

Fellow protestor, a 28-year-old student called Rebecca, added: “As a trans woman, I’ve been told I’m not welcome on the cycling track by the UCI, at the same time they allow a petrochemical company to field a team showing they have no real care for people.

“I take to the track to point out this hypocrisy and take a stand for a better future.”