#STUC25 Congress backed a total of seven motions which together set out a wide ranging strategy to support Palestine through Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and other actions and to end the genocide in Gaza.
Congress passionately condemned Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians and the slaughter of so many in Gaza, especially the children. They heard that the number one cause of child deaths across the world is Israel.
Kate Ramsden moved ATUC’s motion which called for the STUC to lobby the Scottish government to end funding to any company and/or organisation involved directly or indirectly connected to supplying any weapons or weapons parts to Israel, as part of a strategy of BDS.
Moving the motion, Kate Ramsden told delegates that we are proud to stand in solidarity with Palestine as we move into 20 months of genocide and see Israeli violence on the West Bank continue to grow.
“Like everyone here we stand in the side of humanity and utterly condemn Israel’s massacres of children, women and men in Gaza, the targeting of health workers, aid workers and journalists, and now the withholding of essential aid, condemning Gazans to death by starvation and from sickness and injury,” said Kate.
She slammed the UK government’s complicity in the genocide, calling on them to end all arms licenses to Israel. And she demanded that the Scottish Government puts its money where its mouth is and does not provide any government funding to businesses involved in supplying arms or military hardware to Israel.
She called on trade unions to do more to promote BDS amongst their members and to campaign for pension fund divestment from companies complicit in Israeli oppression.
“We know from our solidarity with South Africa all those years ago how powerful BDS can be as a peaceful weapon for freedom and justice.
“Let’s all stand on the right side of history,” urged Kate.
