Former US Senator Told to Cover T-shirt at Scottish Parliament

Former U.S. Senator Scott P. Brown stated he was asked to cover his T-shirt during a tour of the Scottish Parliament because its design was considered a political statement.

Brown, a Republican and former Massachusetts congressman, said he was approached by a police officer at Holyrood and asked to conceal his shirt, which featured a Thin Blue Line flag and a Spartan helmet. He explained that the motifs symbolized his support for law enforcement.

In a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, Brown recounted the incident, stating, "This cop came up to me and said 'do you mind covering up your shirt'? I'm like what are you talking about? Why? And he says 'it’s a political shirt… it represents a political stance'." He added, "The political stance is obviously that I support law enforcement, which I do. I was pretty shocked."

Brown decided not to pursue the matter further, saying, "So we just went in and took off after, because it wasn’t worth it." Despite the encounter, he described Scotland as "a beautiful place."

The Scottish Parliament's visitor policy states that protests are not allowed inside the building, which is considered a working parliamentary area. Visitors are permitted to wear "a single small, discreet badge" to express their views.

However, a Parliament spokesperson clarified that its visitor behavior policy prohibits the display of "flags, banners and political slogans inside the Holyrood building, including on clothing and accessories." Visitors with such items are asked to remove or cover them before entry.

This is not the first instance of visitors being asked to modify their attire at Holyrood. In 2024, a co-founder of the campaign group Scottish Lesbians was reportedly asked to remove a badge due to its "partisan message." In 2022, the parliament apologized after a woman was removed for refusing to take off a scarf in suffragette colors. Earlier this year, Scottish Greens MSPs Maggie Chapman and Kate Nevens faced accusations of an "extremist political stunt" for wearing pro-Palestine scarves while being sworn in, drawing criticism for alleged hypocrisy given prior objections to suffragette colors being worn.