Patrick Harvie has defended his party’s decision to expel a number of members for putting their names to a statement reading “sex is a biological reality”.

According to reports in Holyrood magazine, 13 activists who signed the Scottish Green Declaration for Women’s Sex-Based Rights were kicked out following complaints to the internal Conduct and Complaints Committee.

One of those kicked out was Topher Dawson, who has been a member for a decade.

He told the magazine: “They seem to think that anyone who signed the declaration is transphobic. I have friends who are transgender women.

"It’s simply that to stretch the definition of ‘woman’ to include people who are not women makes a mockery of all the sex-based protections that have been hard-won by women, for women.

“There is no space to even discuss it. Anyone who even attempts to raise the subject is hounded out.”

READ MORE: Starmer makes appeal to independence supporters with promise of 'change'

Mr Harvie was asked about the mass expulsion while talking to journalists at the launch of his party’s general election campaign in Glasgow.

“I think it's really important to be a political party that thinks equality and human rights seriously,” he said.

“I reject the idea that most political parties seem to follow that says, you know, if you say something racist, that's a disciplinary matter, but if you say something homophobic or transphobic, then that's just a special matter of conscience.

“Greens are not like that. We take the same principled approach to all these aspects of equality and we take that seriously.”

The Scottish Greens are looking to field a record number of candidates at the July 4 election.

In 2015, they stood in 32 constituencies.

Though they are unlikely to get enough votes to win any of those seats, Mr Harvie said it would be an “energising” experience.

“First past the post is an appallingly unfair system, it's discredited, it's out of date. It doesn't produce a result that reflects the plurality of views in the public.

“I think it's bad for every political party even for the winners because they end up arrogant and taking power for granted. I think it's bad for our democracy.

“But any election for the Scottish Greens is a chance to get out there to meet the voters to get our branches up and running with canvassing activity around the country.

“It's an energising experience.”

READ MORE: Ross demands SNP candidates set out position on Matheson

The ex-minister said it was about “putting climate and nature on the agenda.”

“The other political parties ignore it. It's Greens that make the charge on that.

“That's shown from the evidence of the biggest investment in climate and nature that Scotland's ever seen when the Greens were part of the Scottish Government.

“And it shown now again by the fact that the SNP are back to their old ways of facing both ways on the on the climate and nature emergency.”

The Herald:

Mr Harvie said the Greens could take votes off Labour, with a number of voters unhappy at Sir Keir Starmer’s position on Gaza.

“Very, very clearly that there are some people, particularly those motivated by the global injustice and the treatment of the Palestinian people, who feel deeply let down by Labour.”

He said Labour were “refusing to take a clear, vocal, principled stance” on the situation in the Middle East.

“Equally there are those who have a view that Labour are not going to make any particular change from the Tory party's attacks on devolution and Scotland's right to self government.

“I don't expect them to repeal the internal market act, for example, which undermines devolution in existing devolved areas, undermines the Scottish Parliament's ability to make democratic choices.

“I don't expect them to change direction on that, as on so many other issues. And they've dumped their 28 billion pound pledge on green investment as well as scaled that back so dramatically that it might as well not be happening.“