This website by definition focusses on the trade union movement even though the unions are hardly the only institutions in which anti-Israel bias may be found.  But sometimes union hostility to Israel comes to the fore — and sometimes it can be linked to anti-Semitism as well.

In a study reported this week in The Herald, we learn the disturbing news that hate crimes against Jews tripled over the last year in Scotland.

And that rise of anti-Semitism is linked to the Scottish trade union movement’s growing hostility toward Israel.  The Herald writes: “The document accuses the Scottish Trades Union Congress of bias after the STUC called for sanctions against Israel last year.”

And they quote the authors of the report, who wrote: “The report of the STUC delegation [to Palestine] itself showed considerable bias in the way information was presented and their decisions were made. In fact, subsequent reports indicated that the STUC had already decided on a boycott and divestment policy and their visit was intended to confirm the decision.”

A leader of the Scottish TUC defends the organization, saying “The study is a very partial account. It is out of context and attempts to show that we have approached this in a biased fashion. We are biased to the extent that we don’t consider the situation in the Middle East to be a conflict between equal partners. We do think that Israel does have an enormous responsibility to change its activities, as does the international community.”

The Scottish TUC, unlike the UK-wide TUC, supports a general campaign of boycotts, divestments and sanctions targetting the Jewish state — not just a boycott of products of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

It will be recalled that the Scottish TUC recently attempted to distribute thousands of  Palestinian flags at a football match at which an Israeli team was playing — with very limited success.

The Scottish TUC’s Palestine web page is here.