Pro Palestine activists are to picket outside Holyrood on the one year anniversary of the Scottish Government\u2019s decision to cut ties with arms firms providing weapons to the IDF.<\/p>\n
The Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee (GGEC) has organised the protest on Thursday, September 3 in a bid to put pressure on the government to \u201cfully implement\u201d its Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions policy against the state of Israel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last September, MSPs backed a proposal by the Scottish Greens which called for "the Scottish and UK Governments to immediately impose a package of boycotts, divestment and sanctions targeted at the state of Israel and at companies complicit in its military operations and its occupation of Palestine".\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the time, First Minister John Swinney confirmed that the government would not provide new funding to arms firms who sell weapons to Israel.<\/p>\n
More than 73,000 people in Gaza have been killed since October 2023. (Image: AP Photo\/Jehad Alshrafi)<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWe will pause new awards of public money to arms companies whose products or services are provided to countries where there is plausible evidence of genocide being committed by that country. That will include Israel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pause will apply where possible to new grants provided, or investments made, by the Scottish Government, our Enterprise Agencies and the Scottish National Investment Bank.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny defence company seeking support from the Scottish Government will have to demonstrate that its products are not involved militarily with Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
It has since emerged that Scottish Enterprise awarded more than \u00a35.5 million to weapons firms linked to Israel in the year ending March 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
The National reported on Sunday that Raytheon Systems was given \u00a3710,000, Thales UK was given \u00a3467,400, BAE Systems was given \u00a32.34m, and Leonardo UK was given \u00a3648,600.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, it has been reported by The Ferret that the government sent a \u201cTeam Scotland\u201d delegation to the Farnborough Arms Fair last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The fair featured 1,000 exhibitors from dozens of countries, including Israel\u2019s largest arms company Elbit Systems, as well as Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scottish Greens economy spokesperson Patrick Harvie told the paper that the government has \u201cdragged its feet\u201d on implementing the ban.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is almost a year since the Scottish Parliament voted for my motion on boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Yet the Scottish Government has dragged its feet and failed to turn a clear parliamentary vote into action.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a single penny was handed to any of these companies after Parliament\u2019s vote, that would be a grave betrayal of what the First Minister promised and a direct breach of what MSPs voted for. We did not vote for empty words. We voted for action.\u201d<\/p>\n