John Swinney has called for "unity over division" on the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel. The brutal terrorist violence unleashed on that day in 2023, which left 1,591 dead, sparked a military occupation of Gaza by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) which remains ongoing and has cost more than 74,000 Palestinian lives.
First Minister's statement
The First Minister said the anniversary was a moment to remember those who were killed in the attacks in Israel, as well as all those who have lost their lives in the violence and conflict that has followed. Swinney has previously accused the Israeli government of genocide following its military actions in Gaza. But the UK Government has stopped short of making such a condemnation over the violence, which has become a polarising subject between supporters of Israel and those demanding an immediate end to Gaza's occupation.
In a statement, Swinney said: "Three years on from the horrific attacks of October 7 – the worst single loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust – we remember those who were murdered, and their families and loved ones. The consequences of that truly dreadful day continue to be felt by so many today, and I know the impact remains particularly profound for Jewish communities here in Scotland and across the world."
Greens embroiled in row
The statement comes as the co-leader of the Scottish Greens faced a backlash yesterday after he described Zionism as racist. Ross Greer said, while he did not agree with all parts of a motion passed at Green Party conference in England, he considered the creation of Israel to have been "an act of racism". Some Jewish groups have called the motion an "attack on the Jewish community", and Israel's foreign ministry said it was "a stain on the history of the United Kingdom".
Senior Green figures have been divided on the issue, with the European Green Party seeking to "unequivocally distance" itself from the vote. The Scottish Greens are a separate entity from the Green Party of England and Wales, and set their own policies. Zionism refers to the movement to create a Jewish state in the Middle East.
Greer's response
The Green motion defined Zionism as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish state". It also backed a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine". In response, Jewish groups described Zionism as "anti-racism, creating a refuge for Jews in their ancient homeland after millennia of persecution outside it".
Asked if he considered Zionism to be racism, Greer answered: "Yes." Greer added: "You cannot give superior rights in law to one ethnic or religious group. Everybody has to be treated equally before the law, and the reality right now is that that's not the case. One group's superiority has got to the point where a genocide is being committed against another group. I want Jews, Christians, Muslims, Israelis, Palestinians, everybody to live equally in safety, in peace."
