Campaigners from the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (SCND) took their message to the Scottish Parliament yesterday, calling for strict controls to ensure that Scotland’s burgeoning space industry remains purely for peaceful purposes.
Protesters gathered outside the Holyrood building from midday, holding a large hand-painted banner reading “Keep Space for Peace” and talking to MSPs and parliamentary staff entering the building. Green MSP Iris Duane was among those who stopped to be photographed with the banner.
The lobbying effort comes amidst concerns that Scotland’s developing spaceports, such as those in Sutherland and Shetland, could potentially be used for military applications. The campaigners are asking MSPs to press for safeguards and clear definitions of ‘peaceful use’ within any licensing frameworks for space activities from Scottish soil.
“We are here to remind politicians that Scotland has a long history of supporting peace,” Samuel Rafanell-Williams Scottish CND told the Reporter.
“With spaceports now a reality, it is crucial that we don’t inadvertently allow our technology and land to be used to escalate conflicts or facilitate nuclear-related systems in space. The Scottish Government should ensure that any space activity contributes to peaceful scientific research and global cooperation, not to militarisation.”
The group is particularly concerned about the lack of specific Scottish regulation in this area, given that space-related laws are currently reserved for the UK Government.
They are urging Scottish ministers to use whatever devolved powers they have, especially in planning and environmental regulations, to influence the types of missions launched.
Edinburgh’s financial sector and research universities provide significant backing for the Scottish space supply chain. The integration of academic research, defence technology grants, and private venture capital makes the city a key driver in bringing Scottish spaceport projects to operational status.
As the seat of the Scottish Parliament and Government, Edinburgh is also where policy debates, planning regulations, and political lobbying over spaceports occur.
One protester explained: “Space should be the final frontier for peaceful collaboration, not another arena for weapons. Scotland can lead by example by having the most stringent peaceful-use restrictions in the world.”
 took their message to the Scottish Parliament yesterday, calling for strict controls to ensure that Scotland’s burgeoning space industry remains purely for peaceful purposes.){kind=link}