Learn about the history of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, equality and justice by exploring major events in the history of their oppression on this day of the year.
8 April
PROSECUTOR CLAIMS SAYING "END THE SIEGE OF GAZA" IS ANTI-SEMITIC
On this day in 2010, after almost two years of court appearances, Sheriff John Scott threw out charges of racism against five SPSC members, ruling that convictions would have rendered worthless their Article 10 rights to free speech. Sheriff Scott asked drily whether “their placards would have to read, ‘Genocide in an unspecified state in the Middle East!’; ‘Boycott an unspecified state in the Middle East!’ etc...the remarks made by the accused "cannot be regarded as remotely racist".
زعم المدعي العام أن تعبير "إنهاء حصار غزة " معاد للسامية
8 أبريل
في مثل هذا اليوم من عام 2010 ، بعد ما يقرب من عامين من المثول أمام المحكمة ، أسقط المأمور جون سكوت تهم العنصرية ضد خمسة من أعضاء حملة التضامن الاسكتلندية مع فلسطين واكد ان الحكم بألإدانة كان سيجعل حقوقهم بموجب المادة 10 في حرية التعبير بلا قيمة . سأل المأمور سكوت بسخرية ما إذا كانت. "لافتاتهم يجب أن تقرأ ،" الإبادة الجماعية في دولة غير محددة في الشرق الأوسط ! "؛ "قاطعوا دولة غير محددة في الشرق الأوسط !" إلخ ... الملاحظات التي أدلى بها المتهمون "لا يمكن اعتبارها عنصرية ولو من بعيد".
The Fiscal Depute Graham Fraser alleged in court that the words "End the siege of Gaza" and "Genocide in Gaza" were racist and were racist even if uttered in a public street.
Israel protest at concert 'was not racist' - BBC report of the verdict.
The sheriff ruled the protest was not aimed at individual Israelis...Protesters who disrupted a concert by an Israeli string quartet in Edinburgh have had charges of racially aggravated conduct thrown out by a court. The five members of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign shouted slogans during the performance by the Jerusalem String Quartet. But a sheriff said the comments had been directed at the state of Israel rather than individual Israeli people. He ruled the case against the accused was not competent and dismissed it.
About 60 supporters of the five accused burst into applause when Sheriff James Scott delivered his judgement at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. It was alleged that on 29 August 2008 at Queen's Hall in Edinburgh they had pursued a racially aggravated course of conduct amounting to harassment of the string quartet, which was performing at the city's International Festival.
The prosecution claimed that by shouting slogans including "they are Israeli army musicians", "genocide in Gaza", "end genocide in Gaza" and "boycott Israel" the accused had made comments which evinced malice towards the musicians based on their membership of an ethnic group or nationality.
Sheriff Scott said it was clear the accused were engaged in political protest against the Israeli state and an organ of that state, the Israeli army, concerning crimes allegedly committed by the Israeli state and its army in Gaza. But he said...that the comments made during the performance had been clearly directed at the state of Israel and Israeli army. The state of Israel was not a person and the members of the quartet were not targeted as presumed citizens of Israel, but as presumed members of the Israeli army, he added.
He said: "It seemed to me that the procurator fiscal's attempts to squeeze malice and ill will were rather strained".
The sheriff also said that the right to protest would be worthless if protestors were afraid of being charged with racially aggravated behaviour for naming a state they believed had committed crimes.
The sheriff said, their placards would need to read "genocide in an unspecified part of the Middle East" and "boycott an unspecified state in the Middle East".
He said the prosecution in its present form...had to be dismissed.
Speaking outside court, Mr Napier - the chairman of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign - said he and the other four protestors welcomed the sheriff's ruling.
"He ridiculed and satirised the procurator fiscal's efforts to protect a foreign state, in this case Israel, from criticism. The sheriff could have hidden behind generalities, but today in court we discussed the state of Israel specifically and the sheriff ruled in open court that it is perfectly legitimate to criticise the crimes of the state of Israel...
It is a constant never-ending attempt by those who support the state of Israel to name those who support the Palestiniains as anti-Semites. It never ends. Well it ended in court today and we will not be intimidated by this smear in the future."
"Fiscal depute Graham Fraser said the Crown would be appealing the decision."
There was no appeal - the threat was an empty one, made to cover a political withdrawal.
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