Police have arrested 13 people after a group of environmental protesters staged an occupation to disrupt the annual dinner of the Scottish Oil Club.

Extinction Rebellion Scotland took their action at the  National Museum of Scotland which was to play host to nearly 900 fossil fuel industry leaders.

Instead a group of 20 activists from the protest group occupied the main hall in an attempt to hoping to get the event cancelled.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "About 16:30 officers in Edinburgh were deployed to a pre-planned protest at the National Museum of Scotland in Chambers street.

"At close of normal business some protestors refused to leave the main building.

"Following a period of negotiation police provided a proportionate response to the protest and 13 people, a mix of men and women, have been arrested."

A protest was also being held outside the museum, where people gathered to celebrate an alternative, fossil fuel-free future.

 The members of the Scottish Oil Club include representatives of companies such as Shell, Total and BP.

One of the protesters said: "The National Museum of Scotland today is holding an oil club dinner, which is some of the largest oil companies in the world.

"Eight or nine hundred people, all sitting having dinner in the beautiful national museum, which climate activist groups like Extinction Rebellion don't agree with, seeing as it is a national monument.  It doesn't fit with our aims to decarbonise the country."

Extinction Rebellion Scotland said 30 activists occupied the main hall  to disrupt the annual dinner.

At 5pm, the group sat down in the middle of the main hall and held what they described as a "peaceful People’s Assembly focusing on the damage done to the world by the fossil fuel industry and paths to transition away from it immediately". 

  Two banners were dropped over the balcony reading 'Climate Emergency' and 'Smash the Patriarchy - Save the Planet'. 
  
When asked to leave by the police, a number agreed but 13 people stayed and continued the Assembly.

The group said six were locked together with D-locks.
  
Robert Alcock commented; “I am disrupting the Scottish Oil Club annual dinner because we shouldn’t allow this industry, which profits from destroying the earth, to celebrate in our museum."