Defend the Right to Protest Genocide

Stand With Us on 7 May – Defend the Right to Protest Genocide

On Wednesday, 7 May, SPSC founding member Mick Napier will once again appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court, facing charges arising from protests against Barclays Bank’s complicity in Israeli war crimes, and a separate charge of “racial aggravation” brought forward by Mr. Sammy Stein, a leader of Glasgow Friends of Israel.

Let’s be clear: this charge is entirely politically motivated. Mr. Stein—a vocal supporter of Israeli military violence—runs a Facebook page where he welcomed the “euthanising” of Palestinians by the Israeli military and allowed a group of followers to express satisfaction at the massacre of 51 Muslim worshippers in two mosques in New Zealand in 2019, calling it “payback.” Police Scotland has refused to charge Mr. Stein with hate speech or incitement, but instead has acted on his complaint against Mick, one of millions who have campaigned against the Israeli government’s crimes.

This is part of a pattern of legal harassment. Mr. Stein and his associates have previously tried—and failed—multiple times to secure convictions for “racism” against those who speak out against Israel’s war crimes. Courts have repeatedly dismissed these charges. But still they return, hoping that this time they can succeed in silencing dissent.

Let’s be clear about what’s really happening here:

• Mick is facing charges for protesting inside a Barclays Bank branch, one of the biggest investors in weapons used against Palestinian civilians.
• He is also being charged over a protest at Kelvingrove Art Gallery, where the Israeli embassy was promoting its narrative while denying the genocide in Gaza. One of the charges? That the PA system was “too loud.”
• More seriously, he is charged with “hate speech” allegedly directed at the “Scottish Jewish community”—a grotesque distortion. My anger was directed at Mr. Stein and other political figures supporting genocide, not at a religious or ethnic community. Claiming otherwise is like saying that condemning the KKK is an attack on Christians, or that condemning the mafia is the same as condemning the Italian people. Preposterous.

We must not allow supporters of genocide to hide behind false accusations of racism. Mr. Stein and his group do not represent all Jewish people—many of whom, here in Scotland and around the world, stand in solidarity with Palestine.

This is about silencing protest, criminalising solidarity, and shielding war crimes from scrutiny. The Israeli military’s crimes, including documented massacres of women and children—as recently reported by a UN committee—must be exposed, not protected by false accusations of racism.

We will demonstrate on the steps of Glasgow Sheriff Court from 9am on 7 May, with guest speakers calling out the lies of Glasgow Friends of Israel and the shameful collusion of Scottish politicians, Scottish prosecutors, not to mention educational, sporting, and other institutions.

After the demonstration, attend the court proceedings.

Join us. Stand up for truth. Stand up for Palestine.