A Scottish National Party member of the Scottish Parliament (SNP MSP) has been disbarred after making “utterly abhorrent” comments about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The party confirmed that it had taken action following social media comments made by John Mason, member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Shettleston.
The whip was removed with “immediate effect,” officials said.
Mason had previously responded to criticism of the meeting between Scottish Foreign Minister Angus Robertson and Israel’s Deputy Ambassador Daniela Grudsky.
Mason had also met with the Israeli ambassador and drawn the ire of members of his own party when he posted on social media: “If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many.”
His post was a response to former SNP MP Sandra White, who said: “We know what the Israelis are trying to achieve, they are already committing genocide in Gaza,” adding that “innocent children are being massacred.”
“To dismiss the deaths of more than 40,000 Palestinians lightly is completely unacceptable. There can be no place for this kind of intolerance in the SNP,” a party spokesman said of Mason’s dismissal.
“The Group Leader has today disbarred MSP John Mason from the Whip with immediate effect until the Group’s internal process has been completed. The SNP Group will now meet to discuss the matter. They recommend that John Mason be disbarred from the Whip for a period of time because of this absolutely abhorrent remark,” the party spokesman said.
Mason said he was “disappointed” by his suspension and that it would “go through the party process in the usual way.”
In a Facebook post after the move was announced, Mason wrote that his “overriding concern with Israel and Gaza is that there should be peace talks, negotiations and ultimately peace.”
He said: “Too many lives have already been lost in Israel, in Gaza and elsewhere and, as I said in my speech to Parliament, many people feel that Israel has moved from a position of self-defence to a campaign of revenge.
“Personally, however, I do not believe that Israel has attempted to commit genocide, has committed genocide or is currently committing genocide,” he said.
“They certainly have the ability to kill many more Palestinians than they have done so far. But that does not mean that too many people have not already lost their lives,” he added.
Former SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford criticised Mason’s previous social media post, which led to the MSP being voted no confidence in the group, posting on X: “Over 40,000 dead in Gaza and you tweet this. You are not fit for public office. You are a disgrace and not fit to represent anyone. Your stupid comment glorifies killing and murder. Just go and do it now.”
Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said it was “right” for the SNP to withdraw its vote of confidence in Mason.
However, he said action must be taken to make the decision for a senior minister to meet with an Israeli representative. “That cannot be the end of the matter,” he said.
“Both the Foreign Secretary and the First Minister will have to answer very serious questions about when the decision was made, who made it and why. We hope this will be clarified well before the end of the recess but if not we will demand an urgent explanation as we consider the next steps.”
Scottish First Minister John Swinney said Robertson’s meeting with Grudsky was “necessary” and would enable the Scottish government to make clear the need for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza.
In response to this intervention, Scottish Green MP Ross Greer accused the Scottish government of pursuing a “two-pronged approach” by publicly condemning Israel’s actions while simultaneously holding secret meetings.
