Tag: statements

Statement following guilty verdict for Scottish Palestine Campaign founder Mick Napier

From JEWISH COUNCIL OF SCOTLAND and GLASGOW JEWISH REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL

“Glasgow Jewish Representative Council and the Jewish Council of Scotland welcome yesterday’s Glasgow Sheriff Court verdict finding Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign founder member Mick Napier guilty of a racially aggravated breach of Section 38 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010.

“As reported in the media, we understand that Mr Napier was found guilty of having behaved in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm, aggravated by prejudice related to religion, or a social or cultural group with a perceived religious affiliation, in this case directed towards Sammy Stein – a Jewish person.

“There must be no place for antisemitism – in any guise – in Scotland.”

Henry Lovat President, Glasgow Jewish Representative CouncilTimothy Lovat Chair, Jewish Council of Scotland

Israeli genocide cheerleaders secure conviction against lifelong anti-racist and Palestine solidarity organiser

STATEMENT from SCOTTISH PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN

Palestinian protest Edinburgh 17th oct’ 2015

In Glasgow’s Sheriff Court today (Tuesday 23 December), Sheriff John McCormick handed down a shocking verdict, finding SPSC founding member Mick Napier guilty of racism for verbally calling out the leader of Glasgow Friends of Israel.

The same sheriff jailed five activists last August for trying to interdict the supply of arms from Thales in Govan to the genocidal Israeli military.

The pro-Israel group whose leader made the complaint of racism on which the police, prosecutors and sheriff acted,

  • described Palestinians murdered by Israel as “euthanised”
  • welcomed the 2019 mass murder of 51 Muslims in New Zealand as “payback for what they have done around the world”
  • discussed how a Muslim lawyer, who supported Palestine, “should be strangled with her own scarf”
  • called two anti-Zionist rabbis “disgusting Jews”

The complainer, Sammy Stein, joined a recent anti-asylum seeker, pro-genocide demonstration organised by Tommy Robinson supporters in Glasgow and worked with a well-known fascist, antisemite and holocaust denier to harass Palestine supporters.

An appeal against conviction and the £600 fine has been lodged.

SPSC will continue our work to expose Glasgow Friends of Israel, including Sammy Stein, as the genocide deniers and cheerleaders that they are. They work in collaboration with Israeli government officials to target SPSC, our members and partners, because the international Palestine solidarity movement to boycott and isolate Israel is growing and making an impact.

It is critical that we continue to organise and build the movement in Scotland – if you are not already an SPSC member, you can join here.

You can also support our Fighting Fund appeal here – to be effective, we must also defend our rights.

Our fight continues. Look out for notices about hunger striker and wider court support.

PICTURE: Craig McLean

Statement from the Jewish Council of Scotland on the terror attack in Bondi Beach, Sydney

OUR hearts go out to the victims of yesterday’s attack in Sydney and their families.

It is intolerable that in the current climate of antisemitism, Jews cannot gather publicly or celebrate religious festivals in any part of the world without fear of attack.

The news from Sydney yesterday is also a dreadful reminder of the risks facing our Jewish community here in Scotland. There must be no place for anti-Jewish hate – in any guise – anywhere in Scotland.

We will not be deterred by antisemitism or acts of terror, and we will celebrate Chanukah throughout Scotland.

We are liaising closely with Police Scotland and with the Community Security Trust (CST) to ensure that appropriate police and security arrangements are in place, and we thank them for their continuing support.

We will also continue to engage with the Scottish Government and local authorities to put in place longer-term measures to ensure the safety of the Jewish community in Scotland.

We wish our community and friends across Scotland a happy – and peaceful – Chanukah.

Timothy Lovat, Chair

Jewish Council of Scotland

POLICE SCOTLAND STATEMENT:

Statement from ACC Steve Johnson following terrorist incident in Australia

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson said: “Our thoughts are with the Jewish community, the victims, families, and everyone affected by the incident in Australia.

“Officers are already carrying out additional and dedicated patrols around synagogues and other Jewish venues as part of our existing policing plan for Hanukkah.

“Following the incident, we are actively communicating with faith leaders and community leaders.

“We are also engaging with a wide range of local, national and international partners to ensure our communities are safe.

“While there is no intelligence to suggest any specific threat in Scotland, I want to take this opportunity to ask the public to remain alert but not alarmed. You should remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to Police Scotland.

“Policing in Scotland has strong relationships with the public and we are grateful for the ongoing support of all our communities.”