Scottish Parliament bosses have asked the Home Office to designate the building and its grounds as a “protected site” in the interests of national security.
Legislation has now been laid in Westminster under the Serious Organized Crime and Police Act 2005 which is due to come into force on October 1.
At present, the police have limited powers to intervene if there is no substantive offense taking place, such as protesters making a prolonged noise outside the entrances.
But from next month it will be a criminal offense to remain on the parliamentary estate “without lawful authority” punishable by a £5000 fine or a year in jail after a conviction.
The change, which will apply to all the landscaped grounds and ‘ponds’ area where most protests take place, brings Holyrood into line with Westminster and the Welsh Senedd.
Public gatherings are are an almost daily part of Holyrood life, with groups gathering to protest against Government policy, demand change or support a particular cause.
In the last week alone, hundreds of people have held demos in support of women's rights and against vaccine passports.
It’s more than just a coincidence they are asking for this: a bill that will be introduced in Scottish parliament next year will legalize gender Self-ID, that anyone who thinks they are the opposite sex can just say they are without gender reassignment surgery.
I fully expect there’s going to be a lot of pushback from women on this and Scottish parliament knows this will happen.
Already a full 82% of Scottish voters disapprove of this pending legislation.