A Scottish lawmaker railed against US President Donald Trump on Wednesday over the American military’s seizure of an oil tanker and detention of its two top officers earlier this month in waters between Iceland and Scotland.
Ross Greer, a member of the Scottish Parliament and co-leader of Scotland’s Green Party, said that two people—tanker captain Avtandil Kalandadze and his unnamed first officer—“have been abducted from Scotland in the middle of the night by the US military, despite our highest court ordering they be kept under our jurisdiction.”
As the Scottish newspaper The National reported Thursday, Kalandadze—a Georgian national—and his first officer were taken out of UK territory by the US Coast Guard earlier this week despite a court ruling against their removal from Scotland’s jurisdiction.
“He’s not our ally. He is a fascist,” Greer said of Trump during his remarks in Parliament on Wednesday. “Our sovereignty has been violated, our courts have been defied, and a foreign military has abducted two people from our territory.”
Greer called on the Scottish government to immediately evict US troops from Prestwick Airport, which is used by American forces.
“Will the first minister show Trump that his piracy has consequences?” Greer asked.
The BBC reported Wednesday that the Trump administration “says it intends to prosecute” Kalandadze and his colleague for alleged involvement in the violation of US sanctions.
Angela Constance, Scotland’s justice secretary, has said the Trump administration’s handling of the vessel seizure and abduction of its crew has demonstrated a lack of respect for Scottish jurisdiction.
“We have a number of questions, we have a number of concerns, and deep frustrations about how this matter has evolved, because it is a matter of significant public interest and confidence,” Constance said earlier this week. “The Scottish government wants to play our part in international justice because that is appropriate and responsible. But that starts with the recognition and respect that must be afforded to Scottish jurisdiction and Scots law.”
Aamer Anwar, an attorney representing Kalandadze’s wife in a lawsuit over the incident, said earlier this week that the captain was “whisked away under the cover of darkness” by US forces, and “we have no idea what role our own governments played in that.”
“A dangerous precedent has been set, as the US should not have the power to arrest people under our control,” said Anwar. “These people have been denied their most basic human rights right under our noses, whilst the UK knowingly assisted the US ‘abduction’ of two men from Scotland to avoid the Judicial Review taking place.”
