Palestine protesters face racism charges

Four members of the Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) are facing new charges of alleged racist behaviour, for interrupting a concert by the Jerusalem Quartet during last year's Edinburgh Festival.

The initial charges against the protesters of breaching the peace were dropped by the procurator fiscal, with the condition that they would be replaced with charges alleging they committed racially aggravated conduct against the Israeli performers.

SPSC campaign chair Mick Napier hailed the new charges as an opportunity to differentiate between Israeli opposition and alleged racism: “We thank the procurator fiscal for providing us with the forum to explain that opposition to the violent, racist state of Israel is motivated by a commitment to universal human rights.

He continued: "We support the Palestinian people faced with Zionist savagery and we are contemptuous of attempts to smear such a struggle for justice with the taint of racism. I hope these charges are not quietly dropped and we will have the opportunity to meet our critics in open court.”

It was claimed that the accused had interrupted a concert by the Jerusalem Quartet during the Edinburgh festival last year.

Kevin Connor, 39, of Willowbrae Crescent, Niel Forbes, 54, of Wester Hailes Road, Vanessa Fuertes, 34, of Willowbrae Road, and Sofia Macleod, 38, of Glendinning Crescent, all Edinburgh, deny committing any offence.

The Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign are a pro-Palestinian group established in autumn 2000 in response to the second Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.