Nicola Sturgeon hits back at Scottish Tories amid 'endorsing antisemitism' row
The former first minister invited MSP to a showing of award-winning Bosnian-British director Samir Mehanovic's new film My Hijab, My Choice on Tuesday evening. The event was billed as the Scottish premiere of the film which looks at Muslim women's experiences of racism for wearing a hijab in the UK.
However, the Tories have criticised the film screening, and Sturgeon's decision to back it, based on past comments from Mehanovic, The Times reported.
The director urged Ukrainians to 'drop the guns' after the Russian invasion in 2022, and in 2021 accused Israel's government of using the 'same tactics as Hitler's Nazis'.
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That statement meets the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which controversially includes criticism of the state of Israel within its scope, including defining as antisemitic any 'comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis'.
The director has also previously criticised Sturgeon's SNP while she was leader, suggesting there was 'Stalinism' at the top of the party, a claim also made by figures such as former SNP MP Joanna Cherry.
Mehanovic rejected any suggestion he is anti-Ukraine, anti-Sturgeon, or antisemitic – saying there had been an attempt 'to discredit my work by pulling isolated comments out of context'.
Sturgeon hit back at the Tories' attack on his film screening, saying it was 'glaringly obvious' that she would not agree with everything the director had ever said.
Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon (Image: PA) She told The Times: 'I am hosting the event because of the important issues raised in the film. It tells the stories of five young Muslim women who speak powerfully about the racism and Islamophobia they have experienced throughout their lives, but also about the positive contributions they are making to life in the UK.
'I am MSP for the constituency with the biggest Muslim population in Scotland and the testimonies of these women are all too typical of the experiences many of my constituents encounter on a regular basis.
'It is a film everyone should watch and it would fit the Tories better if they engaged with the substance of the film and the issues that it raises.'
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Scottish Tory MSP Annie Wells had said: 'Nicola Sturgeon has once again displayed her poor judgment by sponsoring the premiere of a movie by such a controversial figure.
'As well as accusing Nicola Sturgeon of corruption and comparing her to Stalin, it's clear this director has some extreme and abhorrent views. So it's embarrassing that a former first minister is tacitly endorsing them.'
Mehanovic said: 'I am not antisemitic, I do not support anti-Ukrainian propaganda, and I am not anti-Nicola Sturgeon. These claims are entirely unfounded and distort both my personal values and professional record.
'Attempts to discredit my work by pulling isolated comments out of context are not only dishonest, but undermine the very principles of free and open discourse that we should all protect.'
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