UK
Furious letter sent to Swinney for putting Scottish Jews ‘at further risk’
The first minister last week said there was plausible evidence that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza
September 7, 2025 19:00
The first minister last week said there was plausible evidence that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza
September 7, 2025 19:00A letter signed by at least 3,000 people has been sent to Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney saying that his “inflammatory language” on Israel puts the country’s Jewish community at “further risk”.
Last week Swinney said there was plausible evidence that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza and paused new awards of public money to arms companies supplying Israel.
The letter, whose signatories include lawyers, politicians, educators, clergy, students, and concerned citizens across Scotland and beyond, warns that such language risks legitimising hostility to Jews, emboldening extremists and deepening the isolation of Jewish Scots.
Scotland’s Jewish community numbers around just 5,000 people — 0.093 per cent of the population — yet were victims of 17 per cent of all religiously motivated hate crimes last year.
Leah Benoz, Founder and Director of Scotland Against Antisemitism, a grassroots civic initiative launched in 2025 to document, expose, and counter antisemitism in Scotland, said: “The Scottish Government has no power over foreign policy, and the proposed funding cuts are tiny and will have no effect on events in the Middle East.
"Not one Palestinian life will be saved by these measures, but Jewish life in Scotland will be put further at risk. Our question to Mr Swinney is simple; is our safety really a price worth paying for this kind of gesture politics?”
The letter calls on the government to retract inflammatory language, particularly around “genocide”; engage with the Jewish community in Scotland and Commit to concrete measures to protect Jewish safety.
Responding to a request for comment, a Scottish Government spokesperson told the JC: “As the First Minister made clear in setting out his statement to Parliament, the Scottish Government deeply values our relationship with Scotland’s Jewish community and it is vital that they feel safe and supported. There can be no place for antisemitism or hatred of any kind in Scotland.
“The First Minister met with representatives of the Jewish community last week to assure them of this, and will continue to engage in dialogue with the community.
“The International Court of Justice has found a prima facie case that the Israeli government was committing genocide and the First Minister, along with many international leaders, shares the concerns that the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza constitute a genocide.”
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