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Dundee SPSC welcomes the confirmation from Dundee City Council that Tayside Pension Fund no longer invests our pension fund in Bank Hapoalim.

In a victory for free speech and democracy, December 14th saw a significant defeat for forces attempting to silence criticism of  Israel , as a motion raised by Councillors Greig and Boulton of Aberdeen City Council was debated at a meeting of the full Council.

At first viewing, the motion had much to commend it, roundly condemning racism and xenophobia and calling for tolerance and diversity in the city. However, on a more thorough reading, aspects of the text raised concerns with a number of individuals and organisations, who recognised the potential for the motion - if passed unamended - to actively lead to suppression of freedom of speech and political protest. The concerning points stated that (author’s emphasis):

That this Council:
3. Believes that the best way to promote peace and harmony in the world is to build cultural, academic and economic bridges.
4. Rejects any attempt to drive individuals, families and legitimate businesses away from Aberdeen on grounds of race, religion or country of origin and condemns any organisation that pursues such a policy.

Any person of conscience who was involved in the international campaign of boycott against apartheid South Africa, or the current campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)against Israel, will recognise the danger inherent in those innocuous-looking paragraphs - indeed, if passed in the 1980’s, the motion would have put the Council not only in a position opposing the international boycott campaign against the South African apartheid regime, but also actively condemning any organisation who did!

These concerns were proved well-founded when the joint proposers of the motion were quoted in the press , directly linking the motion to current BDS activity in Aberdeen, specifically the ongoing campaign by SPSC Aberdeen Branch against Jericho Dead Sea Cosmetics stall in Union Square.

The councillors voiced vague unsubstantiated accusations of ‘anti-Semitism masked as anti-Israel sentiment’, a charge robustly challenged by Unite regional officer Tommy Campbell, who responded:
''We hope the city councillors will continue with the city council’s proud historical record of opposing racism and apartheid in South Africa and by also opposing the racist apartheid policy of the current Israeli government. Criticism of the crimes committed by the Israeli government against the Palestinian people is not being anti-Semitic.''

SPSC members contacted councillors ahead of the debate to voice their concerns over the motives behind the motion, i.e. the bid to stifle criticism of Israel and prevent legitimate protest.

The campaign to criminalise BDS activity and support for Palestinian rights is not new, but is relentlessly gathering pace, with Theresa May’s new definition of anti-Semitism  the most recent threat to legitimate criticism of Israel, openly conflating anti-Semitism with anti-Zionism.

Fiona Napier from Aberdeen branch of SPSC said:
''The national boycott campaign against Jericho (targeted due to its exploitation of the Dead Sea, highly symbolic of the apartheid nature of the Israeli occupation) has been the subject of increasingly sinister attack from the pro-Israel lobby and their supporters. A malicious campaign of unfounded claims has seen SPSC activists in court on ‘racially aggravated’ charges, and the campaign here in Aberdeen has been subject to unwarranted constant police attention, due to a constant stream of ‘anonymous’ calls reporting alleged ‘hate crimes’. Despite this opposition, we have refused to be silenced, and it is clear from Cllrs Greig and Boulton’s remarks that this motion is being used as yet another attempt to shut us down.''

Aberdeen Trades Union Council (ATUC) responded to the motion via a robust statement sentto all councillors before the debate, pointing out:
''The councillors putting forward the motion have been clever with their words, but if passed, we are concerned that this motion will put the City Council and its councillors in direct opposition to legitimate human rights campaign groups that are supported by many local individuals and organisations – and we presume many councillors too. Given the recent press comments from Cllr Greig, the motion is clearly directed at opposing such human rights groups and the ATUC as well.”

On the day of the Council meeting, an amendment to remove the two controversial paragraphs was tabled and following a vigorous debate, was passed overwhelming by 32 votes to 9. During the debate, numerous speakers paid tribute to Aberdeen’s proud record of opposing apartheid and oppressive states, and urged colleagues not to allow that record to be compromised. Councillors recalled Aberdeen’s contribution towards fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war and the city’s active opposition to apartheid South Africa, and there were repeated calls to resist any attempt to stifle the right of individuals to speak out against injustice and oppression.

The amended motion which finally passed is certainly one that Aberdeen City Council can be proud of - one that celebrates diversity and tolerance and condemns racism and intolerance, but in no way attempts to curtail the right to lawful, legitimate protest. SPSC congratulates the Council on this principled position, and encourages others to take courage from this resounding defeat of the pro-Israel lobby in its attempt to subvert local democracy.

Scottish palestine solidarity compaign
14 December 2016

Despite the fines levied on the Scottish club last year by UEFA for political statements, Celtic FC fans are at it again.

During a match at Edinburgh’s Easter Road stadium, Celtic football clubs’ supporters showed their displeasure with Trump’s announcement recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, by raising a pair of banners before kick-off. The banners read: Jerusalem is Palestine. F*** Trump.

Last year, the fans’ display of the Palestinian flag during a UEFA match against an Israeli teamgot the club fined £82,000. In response, the fans decided to raise an amount equal to the fine, not for the club, but for Palestinian refugees. So with a target of £82,000, the fans raised over £160,000 for Palestine.

Palestinian refugees at a camp in Bethlehem, in response to the solidarity shown by the Celtic fans, decided to raise money to pay the fine imposed on the club.

Tension has risen across the Palestinian territories since US President Donald Trump’s decision to officially recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory, and say the status of the city should be left to be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks.

While the international community has almost unanimously disagreed with Donald Trump’s announcement, reports suggest that the announcement was done with the pre-agreement of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, with the Saudi Arabia going as far as, allegedly, stating to the Palestinian President to accept a village on the outskirts of Jerusalem as the alternative Palestinian capital.

Middle East Monitor - 10 December 2017

Glasgow City Council promises supporters of Palestinian rights that it will no longer sponsor arms fairs featuring Israeli weapons manufacturers and will ensure that the city's guidelines for hosting events reflect that “Glasgow is a human rights respecting city.”

July 27, 2018 — Glasgow City Council has responded to months of popular protest against its decision to sponsor the Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) conference, a military fair featuring Israeli weapons manufacturers notorious for violating Palestinian human rights. The Council vowed to refuse to sponsor any military fairs in the future and promised the city would “reexamine its guidelines” to ensure they reflect that “Glasgow is a human rights respecting city.”

This important concession by the Glasgow City Council was won by a coalition of human rights defenders organized under the banner “Sink the Glasgow Arms Fair.” Organizing groups included the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC), the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Scotland Against Militarism and the Campaign Against the Arms Trade. The fair took place in Glasgow late last month. 

The lead sponsors of the arms fair were BAE Systems and Babcock, the two main arms manufacturers responsible for renewing the UK’s Trident program for the development, procurement and operation of nuclear weapons. Glasgow declared itself a nuclear free council in December 2017.

The fair listed “Israel Defense,” a media enterprise that promotes Israel’s arms industry, as an official media partner. Israeli company DSIT Solutions, which facilitates Israel’s brutal and illegal naval siege on Gaza, was also present at the fair. Israeli arms companies regularly market their weapons as “tested in combat” or “field tested,” which means they are tested on Palestinian people and then exported to facilitate repression by military and police in the rest of the world.

The Backstory:

 The Glasgow City Council, currently led by the Scottish National Party (SNP),  first responded to protests by defending its decision to host the Undersea Defence Technology fair in June 2018. (The Council had placed a bid to host the fair under the previous Labour administration, but was awarded the bid in July 2017, under SNP leadership.)

After more than two months of public protest and just one week before the arms fair took place, the Council removed the “People Make Glasgow” city logo from the fair’s website.  

While the City Council may have tried to quell protest by withdrawing its logo, campaigners discovered that the City Council was still backing the arms fair. Arms fair organizers still hosted a VIP event in a  a City Council-owned building as part of their program. 

In response, over 2,000 people of conscience from Scotland and around the world sent an email to Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken, asking her to end the council’s support for a military fair featuring Israeli weapons manufacturers notoriously responsible for gross human rights violations. The email specifically asked Aitken and the council to “not promote Israeli apartheid killing machines.”  

Sink the Glasgow Arms Fair coalition and people across Scotland joined protest actions outside the arms fair and made clear that the fair was not welcome.  They criticized the spokespersons for the Trident nuclear program and the fair’s student recruitment session, and drew attention to the Israeli weaponry on display which Israel uses to maintain its siege of nearly 2 million Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip.

On the last day of the fair, David Mcdonald, Glasgow City Council’s deputy leader, announced that the Council would no longer sponsor arms fairs in the future. He confirmed that he asked the Convention Bureau, which organizes the city’s conferences, to “reexamine its guidelines” so that they reflects that “Glasgow is a human rights respecting city and also matches the values and vision set out in the city charter.”  

Where Things Stand: Activists welcome concession, maintain pressure on Glasgow City Council to end ties to companies complicit in violating human rights

Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign chair Sofiah MacLeod welcomed Councillor Mcdonald’s statement and added that SPSC will work with other coalition members to ensure the City Council keeps its pledge. 

MacLeod also said that public pressure on the Glasgow City Council and Councillors will continue because the Council still administers the Strathclyde Pension Fund, known to invest in weapons manufacturers  and other companies complicit in violations of Palestinian rights.

SPSC is working with Unison Scotland and Scottish Friends of Palestine on the Time To Divest campaign to urge Scottish local authority pension funds to divest from companies complicit in violating Palestinian human rights. These include Bank Hapoalim, Israel’s largest bank, which finances the construction of illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land, and HP/DXC.

The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) is the largest coalition in Palestinian civil society. It leads and supports the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement for Palestinian rights.

Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) is an extension to the Palestinian struggle for freedom against Israel's programme of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Palestine. SPSC  campaigns to build effective solidarity with the Palestinian people.

BDS- 27 JULY 2018

Update: 
Glasgow’s City Council will no longer hold arms fairs, following protests against the 2018 Glasgow arms fair, which included Israeli arms companies (May 2019).

On Friday July 14th in Glasgow Sheriff Court 17, Sheriff Barry Divers brought a three-year legal process to an end when he threw out charges of racism against two SPSC members, myself and Jim Watson.

Nearly 40 European trade unions, water and human rights networks and environmental groups from a dozen countries have written a letter to the European Commission urging withdrawal of patronage from Watec, the Israeli water conference and exhibition to be held for the first time in Europe, September 21-23 in Venice, Italy. (See letter and signatories)