A GROUP of Jewish academics working at universities across Scotland have condemned "unfounded, irresponsible and dangerous" attempts by the Labour Government to link the Manchester terror attack with pro-Palestine protests.
In a letter published in The Herald, the Scottish Universities Jewish Staff Network – a network that brings together Jewish staff and researchers in higher education across Scotland – said it rejected the "weaponisation" of the terror attack in Manchester to suppress protests against the genocide in Gaza.
Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died on October 2 after Al-Shamie drove into a group of people before stabbing a man. Daulby was accidentally shot by police as he blocked the doors to the synagogue.
That evening, protests against Israel's interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla took place across the UK, including in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The protests were organised in advance but were criticised for taking place on the day of the terror attack, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood branding them "entirely wrong", "dishonourable", "un-British" and "insensitive" to Jewish communities.
In the open letter published by the network, the group said: "As British Jews and Jews of other nationalities living in Britain, we feel intense shock and horror at the attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation shul, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of our calendar.
"We mourn those who died and send our love to their families, friends and congregation. We deplore and condemn violence of any kind directed against civilians."
The group went on to say the response to the Manchester attack "must be through interfaith and community dialogue emphasising solidarity and commonalities".
The letter continued: "We therefore absolutely reject the weaponization of the attack to suppress protests against the genocide in Gaza.
"Many, including the Home Secretary, would seek to link the memory of those killed in Manchester to their own desire to repress support for Palestine. Doing so diminishes the memory of the victims."
The group pointed out that at the rally held last week in Edinburgh Waverley station following Israel's interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a minute's silence was held for the victims of the Manchester terror attack.
They added: "What is ‘un-British’ about mourning the deaths of worshippers at a synagogue while also mourning the deaths of many thousands of Palestinians and calling for an end to the genocide and our government’s complicity in it?
"Jews in Manchester, and everywhere, should be safe to attend their shul [synagogue] and practise Jewish life; no one should be prevented from protesting genocide because of an antisemitic attack. These claims are simply not contradictory."
The network said any attempt to link the Manchester attack to pro-Palestine activism in the UK is "unfounded, irresponsible and dangerous".
They added: "Such claims risk criminalising legitimate political expression, deepening social polarisation, and diverting attention from the real causes of insecurity.
"The rise in antisemitism in Britain is not driven by solidarity with Palestinians, but is directly connected to the British Government’s complicity in the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
"By enabling policies of mass killing and displacement, and by repeatedly linking everyday Jewish life in the UK and the genocidal actions of Israel, the Government has created conditions of division and mistrust in which racism—including antisemitism—flourishes."
The network denounced "antisemitism unequivocally, as we denounce all forms of racism".
"At the same time, we affirm that the safety of Jewish communities in Britain is inseparable from the safety and dignity of Palestinians," the letter continued.
"Jewish security will never be achieved by silencing Palestinian voices; it will only be achieved through justice, accountability, and the building of genuine solidarity between communities."
The letter concluded: "Two people were murdered in Manchester on October 2, and at least 53 people were murdered in Gaza on the same day. We mourn them all. May all their memories be a blessing."
It comes as pro-Palestine activists issued a letter to First Minister John Swinney urging him to protect the right to protest in Scotland.
The UK Government had announced on Sunday that Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 are set to be amended to give the police greater powers to restrict protests, in light of the Manchester terror attack.
Activists from groups Scotland for Palestine, Scottish Friends of Palestine, the Scottish Palestinian Society and Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card urged the First Minister to "call out the false and incendiary attacks on pro-Palestine supporters and introduce measures to protect people protesting for an end to Israeli crimes".
While justice and policing are devolved matters, the Scottish Government had previously said it would consider the "relevance" of the proposals to Scotland.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The right to peaceful public assembly and freedom of expression are important rights that the Scottish Government is committed to upholding. The right to peaceful public assembly and expression should never justify hateful, violent, intimidating or criminal behaviour.
“Police Scotland has powers under the Public Order Act 1986 to maintain public safety and order. We have not yet seen details of the UK Government's proposals and will consider their relevance to Scotland when we have further information.”
