Women for Independence is deeply concerned that public money, through Scottish Enterprise, has been used to support companies linked to the supply of arms to Israel. This is happening even as growing evidence points to serious human rights abuses and war crimes in Gaza, including the reported targeting of unarmed civilians, many of them women and children.
What’s happening in Gaza is not only a humanitarian crisis, it’s a gendered one. Women and girls are facing the combined trauma of relentless bombing, losing their homes, struggling to find food and water, and seeing vital healthcare services, including maternity care, destroyed. When weapons made or backed by UK or Scottish-funded companies are used in these attacks, it means we are part of the problem. That’s not who we want to be.
People in Scotland have a right to know where our money goes. Right now, there’s too little transparency about which companies receive public funding and whether their global activities are ethical. As Amnesty International has made clear, we all deserve to feel confident that our taxes aren’t supporting violence, oppression, or apartheid.
That’s why we’re adding our voice to the growing call for a full and urgent review of all public investment and government contracts. We must be sure that no money from Scotland is going to companies that profit from the arms trade with Israel, or from any conflict that breaks international humanitarian law.
Women for Independence stands in full solidarity with the people of Palestine, and especially with the women, whose experiences are so often unheard in times of war. We urge both the Scottish and UK Governments to live up to our shared values: standing for human rights, gender equality, and justice for all people, everywhere.