No public funds for genocide in Scotland!

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Dear Friends,

Last week (on 3rd September), Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, [announced]([link removed]) that the Scottish Government and its agencies, such as Scottish Enterprise, would no longer provide public funds for arms companies whose products and services are supplied to countries engaged in genocide – specifically including Israel. Swinney also announced that the Scottish Government would implement a package of sanctions against Israel, including against trade with illegal Israeli settlements, although the full details are yet to be declared.

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CAAT in Scotland, along with allies such as [Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee]([link removed]), [Amnesty in Scotland]([link removed]), and local activist groups, have been [campaigning]([link removed] for an end to Scottish Enterprise’s funding of arms companies for years. In recent years, Scottish Enterprise has provided funds for numerous arms companies, including those with a significant role in arming Israel, such as BAE Systems, Leonardo, and Raytheon UK. Leonardo in particular produces components for the F-35 combat aircraft, used by Israel to bomb Gaza, at its factory in Edinburgh. While
SE claimed this funding was to support “diversification”, this is doubtful, and at least one grant to Leonardo supported the development of a radar used for both civil and military purposes.

While details of the Scottish Government’s new policy still need to be clarified, and pressure must be maintained to ensure that they don’t find loopholes and excuses, this is undoubtedly a huge win for CAAT’s tireless campaigners in Scotland, as well as for the campaign for solidarity with Palestine and an end to the Gaza genocide.

There is a downside – the First Minister also announced that, in light of the goal of supporting Ukraine and the UK’s own defence, a previous ban on the use of Scottish Enterprise grants to directly fund the production of “munitions” will be lifted – although there are not many arms companies that aren’t in some way involved in arming Israel, and which therefore should, in principle, be ruled out by the new policy. Again, it will be vital to watch what this means in practice, and to hold the Scottish Government to account.

In the meantime, congratulations and thank you to all our supporters in Scotland and throughout the UK who have taken action on this!

Charles and the CAAT Team

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Campaign Against Arms Trade

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244 - 254 Cambridge Heath Road,
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