Nicola Sturgeon has stood firm on her position to bring the Scottish Greens into government despite allegations of antisemitism and antisemitic policies within the Green Party. This comes after the Campaign Against Antisemitism announced they were “deeply troubled by policies of Scottish Greens”.
In 2017 the Scottish Government adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of Antisemitism which states that:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
This definition was adopted by 35 countries as of 2020, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States.
The Scottish Green Party, however, has refused to adopt this and has instead opted to stand in direct opposition to the definition – being the only Scottish party represented in Parliament to do so. Moreover, the Scottish Greens have adopted and defended several concerning motions that declare “Zionism as a racist ideology” as well as demanding the removal of antisemitic terror group ‘Hamas’ from the British Government’s terror watch list. The Scottish Greens have also passed a motion opposing the international Jewish migration to Israel known as “Aliyah”.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism stated that:
“The [Green] Party’s rise to national prominence in Scotland demands immediate review of its position on Zionism, ‘Aliyah’ and Hamas. With the privilege of participation in national government comes the responsibility to govern on behalf of all Scotland, including its minorities.”
When Nicola Sturgeon was challenged on why she allowed a party with such extreme views into her government, she stated: “I have not specifically raised that issue with them”. This despite the Chair of Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, Nicola Livingston, raising concerns with the First Minister during the election campaign after their manifesto outlining the Scottish Jewish community’s priorities was endorsed by every party besides from the Scottish Greens.
The Scottish Conservatives are now demanding that Nicola Sturgeon drop the Greens from her government unless they agree to sign up to the IHRA’s definition of Antisemitism and agree to fix the problem they are facing as a party.