FMQs: First Minister urged to implement BDS action and end Israeli linked public contracts
The First Minister must take immediate action to end public contracts for companies with links to the atrocities and genocide of Palestinians being carried out by the Israeli government.
Last year the SNP government voted in favour of a motion brought forward by the Scottish Greens, committing to bring in a range of boycotts, divestments and sanctions on Israeli-linked companies, but action was never taken.
The Greens used an opposition debate last week to bring a vote on strengthening the boycott, with a motion that passed calling for any company, parent company or subsidiary involved in illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine to be automatically disqualified from public contracts.
Speaking at First Minister’s Question, Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay MSP asked the First Minister:
“Last week, this Parliament backed a Green motion declaring that a company’s involvement in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories constitutes grave professional misconduct, and should automatically disqualify that company, and any parent or subsidiary from public contracts or Scottish Government support.
“Just four days later, the ASLEF union revealed that CAF, named by the UN as a company profiting from the exploitation of Palestinians, has been shortlisted for a major contract building trains for ScotRail.
“So will the First Minister agree that CAF should be blocked from this contract, and will he stand with the rail workers who have refused to drive trains produced by a company that they say profits from apartheid?”
In his response the First Minister confirmed that ScotRail was seeking advice about this contract.
In her second question, Gillian asked:
“I appreciate that answer from the First Minister and if that can eventually be shared with colleagues across this chamber, it would be very welcomed. But this in itself is not an isolated case.
“Last week your colleague Stephen Flynn said that your government was using every lever at its disposal to stand up against the inhumanity that is being inflicted on Gaza and the West Bank.
“Yet, in the days since The National revealed that a firm whose parent company has also been listed by the UN holds a Scottish NHS contract worth tens of millions of pounds.
“If a company has profited from apartheid and genocide, it should not be profiting from public money here in Scotland.
“So will the First Minister commit to ending this contract as soon as possible, and will his government urgently review every public sector contract, including parent companies and subsidiaries, to ensure that Scottish public money is not going to companies complicit in human rights abuses?”
Gillian concluded with the following question on the upcoming Scottish Government bond scheme which includes Barclays as a partner.
Gillian said:
“I appreciate that the First Minister is trying to adhere to last week's vote and do the right thing, but it is difficult to take your government’s position seriously when Ministers have named Barclays as a partner in its upcoming bond scheme.
“Research by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign says Barclays holds more than £2 billion in shares and provides more than £6.1 billion in loans and underwriting to nine companies whose weapons and technology are being used by the Israeli military against Palestinians.
“If a company is so directly linked to the financing of arms companies supplying the Israeli military, then surely it should be covered by any boycott worthy of the name?
“So is Barclays really the kind of partner this First Minister wants for his Scottish Government?”