Palestine ‘solidarity camp’ set up outside Scottish Parliament
A GROUP of pro-Palestine activists set up a “solidarity encampment” outside the Scottish Parliament yesterday.
Campaigners with the Gaza Solidarity Camp Scotland said they are doing so in protest over “Scottish and UK government’s complicity in genocide”.
The group also issued a list of demands and vowed to remain at the Parliament until they are met.
Demonstrators said that“the liberated zone is a site of our resistance and knowledge building” and that the camp is there to “create a space for radical education, to learn from and with each other”.
They added: “We are here to create spaces for us to share in our grief, knowledge, life and resistance, in order to build a lasting movement that fights against all injustice.”
The group called on others to come and join them and for people to bring “camping equipment, eating utensils and anything you think you would need to camp out”.
The list of demands includes: An embargo on all arms sales to Israel; divestment of Scottish entities from Israeli businesses; formal recognition of the “genocide of Palestinians”; academic divestment of Scottish universities from Israel; and protection of the right to protest in Scotland.
University of Edinburgh student Oliver is among those taking part in the camp and he commented: “If elected officials think that they have the power to act with impunity while ignoring our calls, letters and marches, then we have no choice but to escalate the scale of our peaceful action.”
Elsewhere, Edinburgh resident Margena said it was “our responsibility to intervene against actions of our elected officials and local arms manufacturers that contribute to an active genocide”.
It follows similar action taken at a number of universities in the US this week with dozens of pro-Palestine protesters arrested.
The Scottish Government was approached for comment.