PRO-PALESTINE activists have issued a letter to the First Minister urging him to protect the right to protest in Scotland.
It comes after the UK Government announced on Sunday that Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 are set to be amended to explicitly allow the police to take account of the cumulative impact of frequent protests on local areas, to impose conditions on public processions and assemblies.
The announcement was made in light of a terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester where two people were killed on Yom Kippur, following which Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said continuous protests against the ongoing genocide in Gaza had caused “considerable fear” amongst the UK’s Jewish community.
Now, activists from groups Scotland for Palestine, Scottish Friends of Palestine, the Scottish Palestinian Society and Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card have written to John Swinney to raise “major concerns about the ongoing attacks on democracy” in light of the announcements.
The letter reads: “We are writing to raise major concerns about the ongoing attacks on democracy and people’s right to protest against Israel’s genocide in Palestine.
“We ask that you publicly defend our right to protest, call out the false and incendiary attacks on pro-Palestine supporters and introduce measures to protect people protesting for an end to Israeli crimes.
“Pro-Palestine campaigners are anti-apartheid, anti-occupation, and anti-genocide, not antisemitic. To conflate the two is wrong and a way to whip up hatred against ordinary citizens protesting against Israel’s heinous crimes against occupied Palestinians.
“People who give up their time to stand against the Palestinian genocide should be supported, not attacked. It’s the Scottish and UK Governments’ responsibility to protect us.”
Amnesty International condemned the UK Government's plans, calling it a "reheat of powers that the last Government tried to push through under regulations that the courts found to be unlawful".
The charity also said that "when clamping down on peaceful protest, this Government will always find yet another way to restrict this basic human right".
The letter continues: “We are disappointed that we are yet to hear from many of our political representatives, including yourself, on the incendiary false comments being made by politicians and officials against pro-Palestine supporters. These include claims that protesters ‘celebrated’ the Manchester synagogue attack. We stand firmly against these outright dangerous lies.
“The shameless weaponisation of the synagogue attack is an attempt to intimidate and silence protestors that goes beyond pro-Palestine supporters.
“What Labour Minister Shabana Mahmood is proposing is a shocking assault on every citizen’s right to freedom of expression. The newly proposed legislation since the synagogue attacks will allow governments to shut down any protest in the future. This could affect causes across the spectrum: the left, the right, and any religion or issue.
“This is a pivotal moment in history and sets a very alarming precedent.
“We ask that you publicly defend our right to protest, help end the undemocratic plans to curb protests and protect the rights and wellbeing of citizens exercising their democratic right to stand against a genocide and the wholesale breakdown of democracy.
“We hope you will treat this as a matter of urgency."
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.”
