Latest news with #MothersAgainstGenocideScotland
Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
11 images from 'Stop The War' demonstration in Glasgow
People were pictured attending the 'National Palestine rally' in the city centre, which was organised by the Stop The War coalition, on Saturday, August 16. (Image: Colin Mearns) (Image: Colin Mearns) (Image: Colin Mearns) Attendees were asked to gather at the McLennan Arch in Glasgow Green at around 12.30pm. From there, they marched into the city centre and congregated at the steps on Buchanan Street. (Image: Colin Mearns) (Image: Colin Mearns) (Image: Colin Mearns) The Glasgow branch of the Stop The War coalition also encouraged those heading along to bring pots and pans. Our photographer went along to capture the march as it took place. (Image: Colin Mearns) (Image: Colin Mearns) (Image: Colin Mearns) Images show participants holding placards with some reading 'Mothers Against Genocide Scotland', 'Welfare not warfare', and 'Imagine risking your life to feed your family for a meagre bag of flour'. Banners were also held up as the march passed through the city centre. (Image: Colin Mearns) (Image: Colin Mearns) A statement posted to Glasgow Stop the War Coalition's Facebook page ahead of the rally reads: 'Join the national demonstration in Glasgow. Saturday, August 16, gather at Glasgow Green. "Bring pots and pans."
The National
6 days ago
- Politics
- The National
BBC accused of 'building consent for genocide' at Glasgow protest
Campaign groups Mothers Against Genocide Scotland and Scotland for Palestine organised the demonstration in response to the news at the weekend that Israel targeted and killed six journalists in Gaza, including a prominent Al Jazeera reporter who had previously been threatened by Israel. Campaigners accused the BBC of "being complicit in the genocide" as they banged pots and pans outside the corporation's Pacific Quay building on Monday evening. (Image: Fraz @fraz1409, via Instagram) (Image: Fraz @fraz1409, via Instagram) Activists could also be seen holding a cardboard press vest – protective gear worn by the media in Gaza – inscribed with the names of Palestinian journalists who have been killed by Israel. (Image: Fraz @fraz1409, via Instagram) There was also a sign which read "BBC: Bought, Biased, Complicit". (Image: Fraz @fraz1409, via Instagram) The National reported how six journalists, including Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif – one of the network's most well-known journalists – were killed in an Israeli strike on Sunday evening. The other journalists who were killed were Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, as well as freelance journalists Moamen Aliwa and Mohammad al-Khaldi. Israel's military confirmed killing al-Sharif, alleging he was with Hamas – an accusation Al Jazeera has denied. READ MORE: Monarchists fume over Nicola Sturgeon remarks on late Queen and Prince William According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-profit organisation based in New York, 192 journalists have been killed since the start of the conflict on October 7, 2023. At least 184 of those journalists were Palestinians killed by Israel. The CPJ added that the attack on Sunday raises the number of Al Jazeera journalists killed by Israel since October 7, 2023 to 11. The organisers behind Monday's demonstration accused the BBC of "building consent for genocide" in its reporting on Israel's brutal assault on Gaza. It comes after a landmark report from the Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM) showed "a pattern of bias, double standards and silencing of Palestinian voices" in the BBC's coverage of Israel's assault on Gaza. The report also found that the BBC gave Israeli deaths 33 times more coverage per fatality, despite Gaza suffering 34 times more casualties than Israel. Further, the broadcaster was found to have interrupted or dismissed claims of genocide more than 100 times – while only 3% of articles analysed by the CfMM used the terms "war crimes" in relation to Israeli violence against Palestinians. Mothers Against Genocide Scotland, one of the organisers behind the protest, take part in pot banging demonstrations at more than 20 locations across the country. Made up of parents and children, the group was inspired to take action after Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda urged people around the world to bang pots to highlight Israel's forced starvation of Palestinians in Gaza. READ MORE: Disgraced Prince Andrew should be stripped of all royal titles, UK voters say A spokesperson for Mothers Against Genocide told The National: "The murder of these journalists made us decide to target the BBC building for the pot banging last night. "Sadly, the BBC's editorial line keeps parroting the Israeli excuses for these war crimes and, in doing so, seeks to diminish the murders or pour doubt on those who have been murdered. "This illustrates how the media is complicit through its reporting and how the BBC builds consent for genocide. "As parents, we can't idly sit by and watch war crimes, including the collective punishment of men, women and children, continue to be misrepresented on our media." Fraz, a pro-Palestine activist who attended the protest, told The National: "It's a gut punch every time you hear about yet more Palestinian journalists being targeted by Israel. The tactic is clear, so silence any news coming out of Gaza to hide the atrocities. "This is bad enough, then you have globally respected media bodies like the BBC who further help to suppress and distort the news through lack of coverage or simply prioritising Israel over Palestine." The BBC was contacted for comment.
The Herald Scotland
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Why I took my children to Gaza protests at CCA
I've been protesting more and more recently. Watching the horrifying scenes unfolding in Gaza for more than 18 months, I felt powerless. My children were asking me why adults and children were murdered and I struggled to answer that question. I decided that I needed to do more. I also decided that I would include my children in my action, where appropriate, so they could learn about the world and our right to protest. There will come a time when the children of today ask their parents what they did to stop this genocide, and I wanted to make sure I could say I had acted. I regularly email my MP but they rarely respond, take little action for the people of Palestine and conflate Zionism and Judaism. I have also taken my children to meet our MP, as we want them to understand that our MPs are elected to represent us in Westminster and that we have the right to ask them questions and to hold them to account if they remain silent on injustice. Read more So I joined Mothers Against Genocide Scotland, a grassroots collective calling for the immediate end to all genocide across the globe and lasting peace and justice for all oppressed peoples. I immediately found a network of people who felt exactly like I did – compelled to act not in spite of being a mother, but because we are mothers. Everyone in the group has multiple identities: we are mothers, sisters, aunties. We are women of colour, white women, we are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, atheist, and more. We are many things, and yet, at our core is a connection with mothers who mourn their devastating losses whilst caring for others. Our activities include protest; mutual learning and solidarity events; fundraising; and political advocacy. The images of children killed by UK part-made weapons stay with us. We do not ignore the news. We mourn together, we organise and we act. We keep conversations about Gaza going in our families, our circles and wider communities. Some of these are minuscule actions. But every action is a form of protest. There is a socially-constructed perception of motherhood: mothers are selfless, nurturing and non-disruptive. Concepts like 'gentle parenting', women's rights and access to healthcare exist, but we've painfully learned they only apply to certain groups and certainly not to mothers and families in Palestine. Recently 60 members of Mothers Against Genocide Scotland took part in 48-hour rolling fast as a small act of solidarity with the people of Gaza who are experiencing forced starvation and in protest at the lack of action from the UK government. Each of us who took part described how hard it was to look after our children whilst hungry. Everyone who undertook the fast described the guilt of knowing that we had the privilege to finish any time, and that mothers in Gaza cannot. The amount I would normally spend on coffee and meals for those days, I donated to mutual aid organisations in Gaza. I know it's a small act but it started so many conversations with people, and since these rolling fasts Mothers Against Genocide Scotland has more than tripled in size. Read more The more I read, the more I'm discovering our own complicity. I recently discovered that the Scottish Parliament hosts a cross-party group called Building Bridges with Israel. Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza with its collective punishment of a civilian population. They are also committing war crimes with illegal settlements in the West Bank, this is evidenced by international institutions. Do we really want to build bridges with a rogue state which flouts international law? Taking my children to national demonstrations or to solidarity events has been an incredibly powerful way for them to learn about the world and about our responsibility in it. But watching the heavy-handed arrests in London of peaceful protestors over the past few weeks and witnessing Police Scotland's arrest last Tuesday has shaken us. The latest YouGov poll tells us that more than half of people in the UK oppose Israel's actions in Gaza. Of those 55 per cent, an overwhelming 82 per cent believe they amount to the crime of genocide. Many of us have written to MPs and MSPs and gone to their constituency surgeries to ask them to do more. And yet still there are only words, not actions from our Prime Minister and First Minister. Cat Train is a mother to three young children who lives in East Renfrewshire
The National
22-05-2025
- Health
- The National
20 Scottish mums start hunger strike in protest for Gaza
The 20 protestors are part of Mothers Against Genocide Scotland, an organisation of parents raising awareness and fundraising for people in Palestine. The United Nations warned on Tuesday that 14,000 babies could die in the next 48 hours due to starvation as Israel continues to block food, water and medical supplies. The mothers are undertaking rolling 48-hour fasts calling for the UK Government to prevent genocide by acting decisively to end the siege. READ MORE: New cocktail and tapas bar planned for town in Scottish Borders Sarah, who co-founded the group, said: "anyone who wants to show their solidarity and raise awareness in this way is urged to do so and send their story to their MP and MSPs. 'We have less than two days to prevent yet another tragedy so we're taking unprecedented steps to pressure the government to act." Marianne, a solo parent based in South Queensferry, added: 'I've been involved with Mothers Against Genocide Scotland for 6 months. My adopted son has complex Additional Support Needs. I'm on hunger strike for all the mothers in Gaza who are struggling to feed their kids through no fault of their own.' Cat, a mother to three children, said the UK Government is 'complicit'. 'The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have to act now to intervene in Gaza to save these children's lives,' she said. (Image: PA) 'They've known what has been happening in Gaza. Their blood will be on their hands.' For Mandy, who is a doula based in West Lothian, this is both personal and professional. 'My work is all about helping women and families navigate pregnancy, birth and postpartum. To see babies in Gaza being born into the most desperate of situations and dying due to forced starvation is unbearable.' May, a mother of one, spoke of the urgency of the situation. 'From the 14,000 children the United Nations warned could die in the next 48 hours, how many have we lost already? May their names decorate the skies and inspire us to action.' Aisling, meanwhile, said "MSPs can do more too'. 'We know the Scottish Government isn't a passive bystander,' she said. 'Labour MSPs who have colleagues in Government in Westminster also need to be encouraged to act."
