SCOTTISH First Minister John Swinney was heckled and told he had blood on his hands by a pro-Palestine protester while on stage at a book festival event.

Towards the end of a discussion event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Tuesday evening, a woman stood up in the audience and challenged Mr Swinney over one of his ministers’ meeting with Israel’s deputy ambassador Daniela Grudsky.

She accused him of giving money through Scottish Enterprise to companies “complicit in Gaza,” calling for Mr Swinney and External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson to resign over the latter’s meeting with Israel’s deputy ambassador.

Other audience members began shouting at the woman and BBC presenter Laura Maxwell, who was chairing the event, repeatedly called on her to sit down.

But the protester continued shouting about the situation in the Gaza Strip, saying Mr Swinney and Mr Robertson were “legitimising a genocidal apartheid state.”

Ms Maxwell cut the talk’s Q&A as the protester was escorted from the venue at the Edinburgh Futures Institute.

On Monday, Mr Robertson apologised for meeting with Ms Grudsky two weeks ago, with Mr Robertson admitting the meeting should have been limited to calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Both Mr Swinney and former Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford took part in a discussion marking 25 years of devolution in Scotland and Wales.

Mr Swinney had called on Sir Keir Starmer’s government to “unpick” the Internal Market Act to show good faith to devolved administrations.

He also said Scottish Secretary Ian Murray should not spend a reported £150 million “over the heads” of the Scottish Parliament, ahead of plans for the Scotland Office to have more spending powers.