The police arrest this manipulative mob for an attention-grabbing ploy

Edinburgh Castle was placed on ‘lockdown’ today after a group of eco clowns smashed the glass containing the Stone of Destiny in an attention-grabbing stunt.

Protesters from campaign group This Is Rigged attempted to smash the protective box surrounding the legendary stone, causing the main Scottish tourist attraction to be partially closed.

The monument, which weighs around 20 stone, played a key role in the king’s coronation, seeing a team of six move in and out of the Great Hall of Westminster.

Officers said two women, aged 20 and 24, and a 20-year-old man were arrested in connection with the damage to the glass panel, but stressed the decorations were not affected.

Activists used pink hammers to try to smash the structure before spray-painting the group’s logo on the artefact’s container. This led to the closure of The Crown Room and the royal apartments in the castle.

The demonstration took place shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday at Crown Hall.

The activists claimed they had spray-painted the phrase “Is Treasa Tuath Na Tighearna” – a Gaelic word meaning “The people are stronger than God” – on the glass, along with the slogan of protest group This is Rigged.

The group said that the incident echoed the history of the Stone of Destiny, which was returned by a group of University of Glasgow students from Westminster Abbey to Scotland 700 years after the stone was stolen in the Wars of Independence.

Two Glasgow students, Joe Madden and Catriona Roberts, said they intervened in the case to demand immediate action.

This Is Fake has issued two demands – for supermarkets to cut the prices of children’s products by a quarter, and for the Scottish Government to fully fund a community food hub for every 500 families, providing three meals a day to anyone who needs them.

She cited the right to food, which is part of the International Covenant on Social, Cultural and Economic Rights, and part of the International Bill of Human Rights.

The group said in a statement: “Food is a human right. Hunger is a political choice. The times we live in are defined by crises, instability, and greed.

“We are already facing a crisis in every basic human need – housing, energy and food – leaving us woefully unprepared and under-resourced to confront the impacts of climate breakdown.

‘Food is revolutionary – community is a necessity. When our crops fail, our water sources dry up, and the land we live on is destroyed, the truly revolutionary thing is to take collective responsibility and stand with each other.

A Police Scotland spokesperson told MailOnline: “At around 10.45am on Wednesday 15 November, we were called to a report of a small protest inside Edinburgh Castle.

Officers attended and two women, aged 20 and 24, and a 20-year-old man were arrested in connection with the damage caused. Investigations are continuing.”

A spokesman for Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said: “We can confirm that there was a minor disturbance in the Crown Room at Edinburgh Castle earlier today and police have been called to the scene.”

“There was some damage to the protective glass containing the Honor Awards, but the cover was not compromised and the Honor Cards themselves were not damaged.

“The castle is still open, but we have temporarily closed the Crown Room and Royal Apartments.”

Earlier this year, protesters from the group disrupted an elite men’s race at the Cycling World Championships by taping themselves to the road. This action disrupted the race for 50 minutes and left the cyclists unable to continue.