A grandmother who was the first person to be arrested for allegedly breaching a Scottish buffer zone has said that she is “willing to go to prison on the issue because I am unshakeably convinced that nobody should be criminalised for a peaceful offer to speak on any public land in Britain”.
Rose Docherty, 74, was arrested outside Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after she held a sign that read, “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want”, last February.
The grandmother was arrested and charged by several police officers for the crime of breaching the 200m buffer zone around the hospital.
Scottish buffer zones were imposed last year. Actions said to “influence” women’s abortion decisions are prohibited, though Docherty denies the charge.
Speaking to BBC Scotland, Docherty said: “I gave consideration to what I was doing… I looked at the law and saw what it said I couldn’t do, and thought, ok, well this is what I can do… I can offer to listen, and if anyone wants to come and speak to me, they can do so, only if they want to come and speak with me.”
Docherty also said she is willing to go to prison for her beliefs.
“This is a free and democratic society, and no threat of imprisonment will change my mind that what I did was right, completely harmless and in accordance with the purpose and intention of international human rights laws”, she said.
Elsewhere, Docherty accused authorities of wanting “to crack down harshly and unfairly on individuals because the government simply disagrees with their point of view. This is unjust – of course, there should be laws against harassment, and we all condemn such behaviour. But merely offering conversations near a hospital is not a crime.”
MSP Gillian Mackay, who created the Scottish buffer zones law, is now seeking an extension of the buffer zone around the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
Following Docherty’s arrest, Mackay said she was “grateful to Police Scotland for acting so quickly… This kind of intimidation has no place in a modern or progressive Scotland.”
She also warned other Scots “to think again, as they will be stopped and there will be consequences”.
Mackay’s buffer zones law has been condemned by US Vice President JD Vance, who slammed a letter sent to residents inside such zones suggesting that prayer might also be illegal inside the home.
Later, Mackay admitted that performative prayer might be illegal “depending on who passes the window”, according to her buffer zones law.
If you’re reading this and haven’t yet donated to SPUC, please consider helping now. Thank You!
