Scottish Borders Council's show of solidarity for Israel provokes angry response
Last updated 11th Oct 2023
Scottish Borders Council has announced it's lighting up its headquarters in Newtown St Boswells in the colours of the Israeli flag.
The local authority says it's a show of solidarity with all of those affected by the deadly terrorist attacks there.
But it has provoked an angry response from some locals.
Hazel Smith, who spent several months working in the war-torn country with the British Council before setting up a social enterprise group in Eyemouth, has accused SBC of being "divisive".
She claims some Muslim children in Berwickshire are being bullied due to the ongoing war, and how it's being reported here.
"Where’s your solidarity for the innocent children of Palestine?," she asked. "I think what Scottish Borders Council has done is unforgiveable; it incites racism, it incites fascism. The Israelis are the occupiers and the Palestinians are living in an apartheid regime.
"I'd like to know how the decision was made. I'd like to know which elected members supported that, or in fact if they were involved in (any) consultation."
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SBC has switched off comments on its post announcing the move on social media - but insists it's not political.
A spokesperson for the Conservative-led authority said: "Following the deadly terrorist attacks on Israel in recent days by the proscribed terrorist group Hamas, we are showing our solidarity with all of those affected by these events with the lighting of our Newtown St Boswells offices in blue and white."
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Borders MPs John Lamont and David Mundell are amongst more than 300 British parliamentarians from both houses to sign a statement condemning attacks by Hamas.
Meanwhile, Borders journalist Yvonne Ridley says the scenes of hostages being taken in Israel brought back memories of when she was captured by the Taliban, in Afghanistan, 22 years ago.
"People were firing kalashnikovs in the air and shouting 'Allahu Akbar', and it was terrifying," she recalled. "And my heart goes out to those hostages, and the families left behind."
Now the national women's convener of the Alba Party, Ms Ridley's calling on the international community - which she claims has ignored Palestine - to come up with a "real formula for peace", to end what she describes as 75 years of injustice.
She added: "Being bombed is terrifying and bombs do not deliver peace, they just deliver carnage and death, and we've had enough of that in Israel and in Palestine over the last few days."
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