SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit Press Release: 25/08/05
Support pours in from around the world for suspended SSP MSP’s
Socialist and left organisations from around the world have rallied to support the 4 Scottish Socialist Party MSP’s who have been suspended from the Scottish Parliament for the month of September.
On the 30 June 2005 four Scottish Socialist Party parliamentary representatives were summarily suspended and stripped of their pay and parliamentary allowances for staging a silent protest in the Scottish Parliament This unprecedented and draconian penalty was imposed through a process which makes a mockery of natural justice. The SSP MSPs were tried in their absence, without any kind of due process, right of appeal or any of the basic human rights that are enshrined in law.
The four suspended MSP’s are Colin Fox, Lothians, Carolyn Leckie, Central Scotland, Rosie Kane, Glasgow, and Frances Curran, West of Scotland.
After appealing for solidarity from socialist and left parties and individuals, the SSP has received messages of support from all over the world. Immediately after the suspensions were announced 41 Members of the European Parliament and 8 members of the Portuguese Parliament contacted the SSP to offer their support. In the weeks following messages of support have been received from;
Partido Socialismo E Liberdade, Brazil
Socialist Alliance, Australia
Freedom Socialist Party, USA
Parti Sosialis,Malaysia Esquerra Unida i Alternativa, Catalogne, Spain Red-Green Alliance, Denmark
Ligue communiste révolutionnaire, France
Socialist Party, Ireland
Socialist Workers Party, Ireland
In addition trade unions have responded to the call for assistance and solidarity with the RMT trade union pledging £2,500 and Edinburgh’s CWU postal workers branch donating £500. Messages of support have also come from Merseyside TUC and the Hospital Employees' Union, Canada
Colin Fox , Scottish Socialist Party national convenor and one of the four suspended MSP’s said today; “The support and solidarity we have received internationally has been an inspiration and a vindication of the stand we took over the right to protest at Gleneagles. “The events in Scotland during the G8 summit have echoed around the world and the attempts of the police and authorities to sabotage the right to peaceful protest right up until the last minute prove that the protest action we took was necessary to defend civil liberties. “The SSP thanks every organisation and individual that has sent messages of support and solidarity, we remain committed to raising the banner of protest against injustice and for a democratic socialist world at every opportunity.” [ends]
