A SCOTTISH Government agency has been slammed as it prepares to attend a major defence industry event in Glasgow on Wednesday.
Scottish Enterprise will join firms like BAE Systems, Thales UK and Leonardo at the Scottish Defence Procurement & Supply Chain Summit in Glasgow tomorrow, despite many of the attendees having links to Israel's military and the genocide in Gaza.
The event is focused on helping firms win defence contracts, expand procurement opportunities and strengthen military-industrial supply chains in Scotland and the UK.
The agency will appear alongside Ministry of Defence officials from the UK Government, but has come under fire from pro-Palestine campaigners.
The Scottish Government announced in 2025 that it would freeze funding for defence firms unless they could prove their products would not be used by the Israeli military.
This restriction was extended to agencies like Scottish Enterprise which distribute public funds to companies later in 2025.
However, the efficacy of the checks has been called into question, after firms like Leonardo and Raytheon Systems, which both operate factories in Scotland and have links to Israel's military, were found to have received public backing despite the restrictions.
Activists from The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign told The Herald that the agency's continued involvement with the defence firms linked to Israel is "unacceptable".
They said: "Scottish Enterprise should not be involved with arms firms yet it is standing with them in this new arms fair/event in Glasgow promoting the production of weapons of death in Scotland to fuel wars abroad including the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
"Scotland should stop becoming embroiled in manufacturing weapons of death and instead manufacture products that help and nurture our world instead of helping to kill people on a mass scale."
Sean Clerkin of the Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign added: "This arms fair has to be opposed by all people with a moral conscience as the world continues to descend into illegal wars that kill thousands of innocent children in the world today."
Scottish Enterprise has defended its attendance saying it is "in line with Scottish Government policy and engagement with companies at the event" and added that it "does not infer entitlement to support",
A Scottish Government spokesperson said the Scottish Government and its enterprise agencies "support the defence sector which is fundamental to our national security and a strategic driver of Scotland’s future workforce, supporting high-quality jobs and playing a vital role in economic growth."
BAE Systems, the UK's largest arms manufacturer, has faced sustained criticism over its role in the multinational F-35 fighter jet programme, which supplies aircraft used by Israel.
Campaign groups and human rights organisations have argued components manufactured in the UK risk contributing to violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza.
Thales UK has also faced scrutiny over alleged links to Israeli military technology and weapons systems.
Leonardo, another participant is one of Europe’s largest defence contractors and a major supplier of military helicopters, targeting systems and combat electronics used globally.
Amnesty International has previously highlighted Leonardo’s involvement in supplying laser targeting systems connected to F-35 aircraft used by Israel.
