John Mason considering appeal on SNP expulsion over Gaza comments

An MSP who was expelled from the SNP for comments surrounding the Israel-Gaza war has said he will consider appealing the decision.

John Mason was suspended in August following a post on X that there was "no genocide" in Gaza.

SNP Member Conduct Committee confirmed the decision to expel the Glasgow Shettleston MSP over the weekend.

Mr Mason has been given 21 days to appeal but will continue to stand as an independent until the current term is over.

The 67-year-old will retire at the 2026 elections.

'Disappointed'

He said: "I was extremely disappointed to be expelled from the party.

"I have been a member for over 30 years. I was first elected 26 years ago. I've been elected 8 times at different levels. Councillor, MP and now MSP

"The SNP has been a big part of my life for a lot of it and it's incredibly disappointing to be expelled.

"My heart is still for the SNP. I want the SNP to do well. I want the SNP to continue to win elections and by-elections.

"My feelings for the party haven't changed. But clearly, the party's feelings for me have changed."

Stands by comment

Mr Mason maintains his belief that Israel has not committed genocide in Gaza.

He said: "When we say genocide, I think we are normally thinking of very large numbers of people, very large proportion of a population., and generally, it's not during a war situation.

"I'm not a pacifist, but I certainly do not like wars and would seek that they should be avoided at all costs. I think we should be promoting peace.

"If we look at the Ukraine situation, I believe 120,000 Russians have been killed and maybe 70,000 Ukrainians. I don't think anyone is suggesting that is genocide.

"That is the sad fact of a war that both military and civilian casualties.

"We need to be careful about the word because it is a very, very serious word.

"The UN's got its own definition, and so do other people, but I do not think it can be applied to Israel in the present situation."

'Unacceptable'

The SNP cannot comment on ongoing disciplinary proceedings. However, a spokesperson for the party back in August said that "dismissing the death of more than 40,000 Palestinians is completely unacceptable."

Mr Mason posted a copy of the correspondence received to Facebook, which ruled he had breached the members' code of conduct.

It read: "Your continued insistence that you were the arbiter of what is considered to be genocide was felt by the committee to be unacceptable and offensive and was likely to damage the party.

"The committee was also of the view that the misrepresentation of party policy in relation to Israel and Palestine was unhelpful and also potentially damaging."

It added: "The committee felt that, despite being given the opportunity to do otherwise in both your written and oral evidence, you showed no contrition, nor any awareness of the effect on the party of your actions."

About 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage during Hamas’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

Since then, more than 42,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

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