SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit
Press Release: 04/09/05
The Scottish Socialist Party today unveiled plans for protests and public meetings across Scotland over the suspension of 4 of its MSP’s from the Scottish Parliament during the month of September.
The party also revealed that over 2,000 people had signed an online petition against the suspensions including the campaigning journalist John Pilger and that a financial appeal had raised over £7,000 so far.
The protest plans include a demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday September 6th from 9am and a series of public meetings across Scotland from Inverness and Aberdeen to Kilmarnock and East Kilbride.
Scottish Socialist Party national convenor Colin Fox said today;
“The support and messages of solidarity we have had from across Scotland and from socialist and left organisations and individuals across the world has been marvellous.
“The SSP will use the month of September to take our message to the people of Scotland while the two MSP’s who are not suspended will continue to the vital work we are doing in parliament.
“George Reid said the SSP must choose between the barricades and parliament but in the month of September we will continue doing both; taking our message of socialism onto the streets of Scotland at the same time as Tommy Sheridan and Rosemary Byrne keep the red flag flying in the parliament.
“That red flag includes the first stages of the bill to abolish the council tax that Tommy Sheridan is steering through the parliament, a bill that would lift the grotesque burden of an iniquitous tax from the low paid and pensioners of Scotland.
“The suspensions and financial penalties handed out by the parliament are viewed as a gross over reaction to a peaceful protest by the vast majority of people in Scotland and beyond.
“We will be taking our message of defiance to meetings and rallies across Scotland and I appeal to people to come to those to register their disgust at these draconian sanctions.”
[ends]
Notes
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 4 MSP’s made their protest after the First Minister Jack McConnell repeatedly refused to say he would uphold a vote of the Parliament on 3rd March 2005 upholding the right of peaceful protest at Gleneagles.
Despite claims that a deal had been done to allow a demonstration to take place at Gleneagles, the police and authorities repeatedly tried to prevent a demonstration, culminating in an attempt to sabotage it on the day by using the news media to announce that it had been cancelled.
The four suspended MSP’s are Colin Fox, Lothians, Carolyn Leckie, Central Scotland, Rosie Kane, Glasgow, and Frances Curran, West of Scotland.
Protest outside Parliament: Tuesday 6th September from 9am
Hear the MSP's they tried to silence
Scottish meetings September 2005
Aberdeen: Tuesday 6th September, venue to be confirmed
Alloa: Tuesday 6th September, venue tbc 7.30pm
Dundee: Wednesday 7th September, DVA, 10 Constitution Road, 7-9 p.m
Edinburgh: Tuesday 6th September 7pm St Georges West Church
East Kilbride: Monday 5th September, Murray Owen Centre, 7.30pm
Glasgow: Thursday 8th September 7pm, Quality Hotel, Central Station
Inverness: Thursday 8th September 7.30pm, Spectrum Centre
Kilmarnock: Thursday 15th September 7.30pm, Grand Hall
Livingston: Wednesday 7th September, Craigsfarm Campus, Craigshill, 7pm
