Scottish Green MSP facing demands to quit after endorsing antisemitic post
Scottish Green MSP Ariane Burgess is facing calls to resign after her account liked a social media image showing Israel’s flag with a blood-covered swastika. Jewish leaders and opposition politicians condemned the image and her endorsement, saying it invokes the Holocaust to demonise Israel and risks causing harm to Scotland’s Jewish community.
The post was shared by former MSP John Finnie, who has also compared Israeli soldiers to Nazis and used anti-Zionist language. The Jewish Council of Scotland called for the Greens to investigate and take action, while Tory MSP Rachael Hamilton urged party co-leaders to suspend Burgess. Burgess said the like was made in error, described the post as inappropriate and distasteful, and apologised for any distress caused.
- Ariane Burgess faces resignation calls over a social media like.
- The image showed Israel’s flag with a blood-covered swastika.
- Burgess said the post was liked by mistake.
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The Scottish Parliament is made up of elected members from different parties, including the Scottish Greens. Ariane Burgess represents the party as a member of the Scottish Parliament, or MSP; John Finnie is a former MSP who shared the image.
The swastika was the emblem of Nazi Germany, whose regime murdered six million Jews in the Holocaust. Comparing Israel or its military to the Nazis is widely condemned by Jewish organisations as antisemitic because it invokes that history and can cause harm to Jewish people.
The dispute involves what action the Greens should take when one of their MSPs endorses a post later described as inappropriate. The Jewish Council of Scotland and opposition politicians have called for an investigation or suspension, while Burgess has said the like was accidental and apologised.
Both sides, in good faith
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The case for
Jewish leaders and political critics can reasonably argue that endorsing an image combining Israel’s flag with a swastika trivialises the Holocaust, targets Jewish people through a deeply threatening symbol and may deepen insecurity in Scotland’s Jewish community. They may say that an elected representative’s public actions carry particular weight, so an investigation and proportionate party consequences are needed to uphold standards and reassure those affected.
The case against
Burgess’s account is that the like was made in error, and she has called the post inappropriate and distasteful and apologised for any distress caused. Those urging caution may argue that a mistaken social-media action, followed by an apology, should be assessed through a fair investigation before calls for suspension or resignation, with any response taking account of intent, context and the evidence.