(The JC) Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has recognised the fears of the Jewish community over rising antisemitism, telling a meeting at Glasgow’s Giffnock and Newlands Synagogue complex that one instance of antisemitism was one too many.
Answering questions for more than an hour from a capacity audience of 300, Ms Sturgeon condemned “anyone who threatens the existence of Israel. It has a right to exist and a right to exist peacefully”.
She accepted that the cases of antisemitism recorded did not tell the whole story, but highlighted the strengthened law on hate crime and the commitment of Police Scotland to apprehend offenders.
Speaking afterwards to the JC, Ms Sturgeon said the exchanges with the audience had been “pretty uplifting”.
She said: “This is a community that are scared in many respects but are nevertheless determined to stake their claim to the country they live in and say to me that they want these concerns addressed. I hope that the message I was giving them of solidarity was well received.”
As for concerns over the high number of anti-Israel motions put forward by MSPs, the First Minister said: “I don’t believe there is an antisemitic culture in the Scottish Parliament. There is absolutely, emphatically not. In any Parliament, members have a right to put down motions. Any constituent of an MP has a right to ask them not to.”
Read the full article at The Jewish Chronicle
