AN MSP has apologised to a Jewish organisation that accused her of sharing a "bizarre and hateful" antisemitic image that it said was "reminiscent of the very worst of Nazi propaganda".
Sandra White, who represents Glasgow Kelvin for the SNP, wrote to the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCoJeC) which called on Nicola Sturgeon to take disciplinary action against her after she circulated the offensive cartoon on Twitter.
It depicted six piglets, representing Britain, America, Israel and terror groups Isis, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram suckling from a large sow with the word 'Rothschild' written on it. An image of a bank with a Star of David on it was also emblazoned onto the sow, alongside depictions of Barack Obama and George W. Bush with the Star of David on their faces.
An SNP spokesman said that the MSP had retweeted the image by mistake, later deleting it, and apologised for any offence caused. However, SCoJeC demanded that she issue a personal apology and that the SNP publicly condemned her actions while formally warning her about future conduct. It said the image, originally shared by a Thailand-based activist, was clearly designed to "play to the enduring antisemitic charge that Jews use wealth to control others to go to war on their behalf."
The group also expressed concern at a "disproportionate" high number of motions condemning Israel that are lodged at Holyrood, many of which have been proposed or backed by Ms White, and said the First Minister's claim that the Scottish Parliament did not have an antisemitic culture was becoming "more difficult to sustain".
It said 62 of the 355 Holyrood motions about foreign countries in the current parliamentary term have been about Israel, compared with only 13 about Syria and 15 about Iraq.
Following the statement, Ms White wrote to the group offering unreserved apologies for her accidental retweeting of the image, which she said she also found "repellent and offensive".
The letter added: "I had not intended to retweet this picture, and was horrified to learn that I had done so. As soon as this was brought to my attention, I deleted the tweet.
"Anyone who knows me or has known me over the many years I have served in public office will know of my love and tolerance for all peoples; all faiths and all religions. They will know of my steely commitment to stand up for all suffering prejudice regardless of race or creed.
"There is nothing that happens in Israel or Palestine that can be justification for any racial or religious hatred. I truly believe that Scots of all backgrounds are welcoming and inclusive and this is something I have always been proud of.
"I recently visited the Jewish Archives Centre in Glasgow, where I saw first-hand the immense contribution that the Jewish community has made to Scotland in recent years."
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