PROCEEDINGS in Holyrood were suspended minutes before a final vote on the Gender Recognition Reform Bill was due to take place, as protesters disrupted the session.

Activists sitting in the Chamber’s public gallery began to call out “lies” as Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison gave her closing arguments.

Three women took part in the protest, which saw one begin to “quack” and say she was a “duck trapped in a woman’s body”.

Another said she is “going to be accused of hate speech because I don’t believe in gender”.

Two of the protesters refused to leave voluntarily and police were brought in to usher the women out of the area so parliamentary proceedings could start again.

Once MSPs had cast their votes - and the bill passed with 86 votes for and 39 votes against - MSPs and some members of the public in the gallery began to applaud. 

However, once the applause died down protests again erupted from the public gallery. 

A large group began shouting at MSPs with one woman calling MSPs "terrible, terrible people" before uplifting her own skirt and flashing the Chamber. 

The protester was wearing a merkin - an artificial covering of hair for the pubic area. 

She said: "If you won't be decent, then I'll be indecent" adding "If you think that's the first time there will be a minge out you're wrong." 

The same protester, who claimed to be a healthcare professional, then pointed towards Green MSP Maggie Chapman and told her she had "bad information" and that the bill would "damage people's lives". 

Another protester, who claimed to be a member of the party, then shouted "shame on Labour". 

It took several minutes for parliamentary staff and police to remove the protesters. 

A spokesperson for the Scottish Parliament said: "The protestors were escorted from the gallery, no arrests were made."