The sister of a Scot killed in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks said Scotland’s Jewish community no longer feels safe after the Scottish Government raised the Palestinian flag at its St Andrew’s House headquarters and took steps to curb financial links with Israel.
Laura Schosloff, whose brother Bernard Cowan was murdered in the attacks while living on a kibbutz near the Gaza border, accused First Minister John Swinney of ‘‘adding more fuel towards the hatred that’s already there’’ and said she and others were now less comfortable publicly identifying as Jewish in Scotland.
Schosloff said the flag-raising and Mr. Swinney’s public comments, including his assertion in Holyrood that he could not ignore warnings that the Israeli government was committing ‘‘genocide’’ in Gaza, had heightened fear among Jewish people in Scotland. She said the government should fly the Scottish flag and accused ministers of ‘‘trying to get more votes’’ and potentially ‘‘appeasing some of their big funders.’’
An open letter from Scotland Against Antisemitism, signed by nearly 3,000 people and addressed to the First Minister, warned that the measures risked the safety of Scotland’s 5,847-strong Jewish community by ‘‘pandering to an extremist and increasingly aggressive fringe of the activist class.’’ The letter argued the Scottish Government has no power over foreign policy and that the limited funding changes announced would not influence the course of the war in Gaza.
"In short, the only people this announcement will materially affect are Scottish Jews who are already under siege," the letter said, adding that some community members were ‘‘leaving Scotland for Israel out of fear’’.
The measures announced by Mr. Swinney include flying the Palestinian flag over the government headquarters and blocking any Scottish Government funding intended to facilitate trade links with Israel. Mr. Swinney told Holyrood he could not ignore information presented to him about possible genocidal actions by the Israeli government.
A Scottish Government spokesman said the administration values its relationship with the Jewish community and that it is ‘‘vital they feel safe and supported.’’ The spokesman reiterated the government’s view that the International Court of Justice has found a prima facie case that the Israeli government was committing genocide and said the First Minister and other international leaders shared concerns about actions in Gaza.
The October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and saw more than 250 hostages taken, according to previously reported figures. Cowan, 57, who had moved from Glasgow to live on a kibbutz, was among those killed. His death drew public condolences from then-First Minister Humza Yousaf, who attended a service in Glasgow and told Cowan’s mother, ‘‘your grief is my grief.’’
Jewish community leaders and campaigners called on the Scottish Government to retract what they described as inflammatory language and to take steps to reassure the community. Supporters of the government’s stance say the actions reflect concerns about civilian harm in Gaza and are intended to signal humanitarian and legal alarm rather than to target communities in Scotland.
The debate highlights tensions in Scotland over the war in Gaza, free speech, community safety and the limits of devolved powers. Scottish ministers have limited authority over foreign policy, but decisions taken locally on symbolic issues and procurement have prompted national controversy and a public campaign from groups on both sides of the dispute.
Mr. Swinney and his ministers face pressure from advocacy groups, opposition politicians and members of the Jewish community to clarify how they will balance international human-rights concerns with the safety and cohesion of minority communities in Scotland. The government said it remained committed to protecting community safety while raising concerns about the conduct of the conflict on international legal grounds.