Donald Trump Vice President claims Scots risk being prosecuted for praying within their own home

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Donald Trump's Vice President has been slammed after he claimed Scots risked committing "thought crime" if they prayed within their own homes.JD Vance used a high-profile speech in Munich today to attack what he viewed as an erosion of free speech across Europe.And he pointed to the recent introduction of buffer zones around Scottish abortion clinics as an example of the kind of crackdown he feared.The law, passed by a majority of MSPs at the Scottish Parliament last year, prevent any public protests or vigils from taking place within 200m (656ft) of 30 clinics around the country.But it does not prohibit anyone from praying within their own homes - a false claim repeatedly amplified by some social media accounts in recent months.Vance said: "This last October, the Scottish Government began distributing letters to citizens whose houses lay within so-called 'safe access zones', warning them that even private prayer, within their own home may amount to breaking the law."Naturally, the Government urged readers to report any fellow citizens suspected guilty of thought crime.

In Britain, and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat."Vance's claims prompted a furious response from Gillian Mackay, the Green MSP who tabled the original legislation.

She said: "This is shocking and shameless misinformation from VP Vance, who is either very badly informed about what my Act has done or he is knowingly misrepresenting it. "He is one of the most powerful people in the world but he is peddling total nonsense and dangerous scare mongering."Nobody should be intimidated or harassed when accessing healthcare, and I am proud that my Act has put a stop to the graphic banners and the protests that far too many people were being forced