A Jewish supporter of the protest against an Israeli charity fundraiser at a St Andrews hotel has stressed that the demonstration was to be against violence.
Dr Sarah Glynn was commenting on the town’s Golf Hotel cancelling a St Andrews Jewish Society event last Friday for health and safety reasons after discussions with the police.
The hotel accepted the society’s booking for the night to benefit a list of charities including the Friends of the Israeli Defence Forces and the Jewish National Fund. It then took phone calls of an aggressive nature and discovered there would be a protest outside by the Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, and moved the fundraiser to a secret venue.
Dr Glynn said that, as a Jew with links to St Andrews University, she found the political stance taken by the organisers of the ball worrying.
She said her concern was shared by other Jews across Scotland who were deeply saddened that St Andrews Jewish Society had been persuaded to use its charity ball to raise money for the Jewish National Fund and Friends of the Israel Defence Forces.
“I attended the meeting that planned a protest outside the hotel where the ball was due to be held, and find the idea that anyone could have been at any risk from protesters frankly absurd,” she stated.
Health and safety reasons was the “well-worn excuse for avoiding getting caught up in complicated arguments,” and she insisted the focus of the planned protest was on publicising the actions of the JNF and FIDF.
Joel Salmon, president of the St Andrews Jewish Society, said the event was social and not political with 50 friends raising money for charity.
They made a point of representing members’ differing views by endorsing seven charities which are extremely varied.