Jewish council demands action after Scottish Green MSP ‘likes’ vile post
Ariane Burgess, the Scottish Greens MSP for Highlands & Islands, facing suspension call
A Scottish Green politician is facing calls for suspension and an “unequivocal apology” after endorsing what has been described as a “vile” antisemitic post on social media.
Ariane Burgess, the Scottish Greens MSP for Highlands & Islands, reportedly “liked” an image depicting the Israeli flag with a blood-covered swastika.
The image was originally posted on Instagram and Facebook by former SNP and Green MSP John Finnie, who has also described Israeli soldiers as “Nazis in action,” referred to “blood-thirsty Zionists,” and shared a cartoon of an Israeli soldier in a Nazi uniform.
In response, the board of the Jewish Council of Scotland called on the Scottish Greens to take action against Burgess.
It said: “Depicting the Israeli flag with a blood-covered swastika is grotesque and antisemitic. It exploits the murder of six million Jews to demonise the Jewish state. A serving MSP endorsing such imagery owes Scotland’s Jewish community an explanation and an unequivocal apology. Comparing Israeli soldiers to Nazis is repugnant, dehumanising language.
“Politicians have every right to criticise the Israeli government and its military actions. That does not excuse Holocaust inversion or stripping people of their humanity.
“Coming alongside the Greens’ decision to treat Zionism as racism, this raises serious questions about whether Jewish concerns are being heard at all within the party. Scotland’s Jews should not have to keep explaining why the Holocaust must not be weaponised against them. The Scottish Greens’ leadership must publicly condemn this material, investigate its endorsement by Ariane Burgess and make clear what action will follow.”
Burgess, who was elected as Highland & Islands list MSP in 2021, told the Scottish Mail on Sunday that she had liked the post “in error.” She said: “It has only come to my attention today, and it appears this post was liked in error. It was not my intention to cause any harm, but I accept that the post liked by my account was clearly inappropriate and distasteful, and any interaction with it could be upsetting or distressing. I never want anyone to feel alienated, hurt or disappointed by my interactions on social media or in person.