'Hypocrisy' at Holyrood's heart as Green MSPs wear Palestine scarves as they are sworn in

By TOM GORDON, SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 22:23, 14 May 2026 | Updated: 22:23, 14 May 2026 Scottish Greens Maggie Chapman and Kate Nevens have been accused of an extremist ‘political stunt’ after wearing pro-Palestine scarves while being sworn in as MSPs. The pair swore allegiance to the King draped in the keffiyeh, the checked Arab headdress synonymous with the issue. The Scottish Conservatives said it was ‘blatant hypocrisy’ as Green MSPs previously objected to women’s rights campaigners wearing suffragette colours in parliament. The parliament’s ‘Guidance on Conduct in the Chamber’ tells MSPs not to wear clothes that ‘could be considered a prop or overtly political or campaigning in nature’.  But the final decision lay with the Presiding Officer, who yesterday morning was ex-Green Alison Johnstone and did not object. Scottish Tory deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: ‘This sums up the extremist Greens’ blatant hypocrisy when it comes to parliamentary rules. ‘They were the first to moan when women’s right activists wore suffragette scarfs in Holyrood, but it’s a different story when it comes to a cause they support. Alison Johnstone should condemn this blatant political stunt.’ Ms Chapman, re-elected a North East list MSP last week, was one of several Nationalists to bridle before swearing allegiance to the King. Maggie Chapman at Thursday's swearing in ceremony at the Scottish Parliament Kate Nevens walked away when asked about her scarf by the Mail Holding a clenched fist aloft, she stated: ‘I affirm the sovereignty of the people of Scotland and hereby declare and pledge that, in all my actions and deliberations, their interests shall be paramount.’ The parliament’s first trans MSP, Iris Duane, a Glasgow list MSP for the Greens, said she wanted ‘to create a fairer and more equal future in which nobody is born to rule’. Ms Nevens walked away in silence when asked about her scarf by the Mail. The Greens were asked for comment. A parliament spokesman said: ‘It is a matter for the Presiding Officer in the chair to decide on what is acceptable.’ For the first time, most MSPs (67 to 62) made a secular affirmation instead of taking a religious oath. The vast majority of Green and SNP MSPs swore allegiance ‘according to law’, but a majority in other parties chose the oath ending ‘so help me God’. All 12 Conservative MSPs took the religious oath, the Humanist Society reported. Many MSPs repeated their words in a second language, with Polish, Dutch, French, Mandarin, Gaelic, Scots, the Shetland dialect and British Sign Language all used.  MSPs later elected SNP veteran Kenneth Gibson as Holyrood’s new Presiding Officer. The Cunninghame North MSP, who defied his party to oppose Nicola Sturgeon’s gender reforms, was previously convener of the finance committee. He won by 74 votes to 54 over Clare Haughey, who didn’t bother to attend an informal hustings for the job, and was seen as John Swinney’s stooge. Mr Gibson joked his victory had been ‘unexpected for the Scottish Government’.  He said: ‘I intend to be imaginative and innovative, but I’ll also be firm in the chair where necessary.’ Reminded he was a maverick himself – getting the phrase ‘ba hair’ into the official record in 2000 – he grinned: ‘I’m a repentant sinner.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.