Fraz

A great protest at Holyrood on Wednesday supported by a number of groups and activists who together called for the SNP to implement the boycott vote against Israel. Key speakers included @maggiechapman79 , @scottishgreens MSP, the party whose motion at the Parliament resulted in the historic vote. Scottish Greens co-leader @gillian_mac11 was also in attendance alongside Maggie Chapman, with the latter telling The National: “I’ve been really disappointed in the lack of action by the Scottish Government on not only the vote that we took in Holyrood but the commitments and the words that we’ve heard coming from John Swinney and others. She added: “We know that the genocide in Palestine is ongoing. We know that people are still being killed by the apartheid settler colonial Israeli state, and there are things that we can and should be doing right now. Whether we’re talking about our procurement policy, where our pensions are invested – there are so many things that don’t rely on reserved powers for us to act.”

🇵🇸 IF GAZA WAS IN SCOTLAND 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Hearing and seeing evidence of the most heinous atrocities committed in Gaza each and every day by israel, with reports of hundreds killed on a near-daily basis, it can be hard to picture just how profound this devastation is. So I thought I’d overlay a map of Gaza over various urban and rural areas of Scotland to try and put some perspective on the sheer scale of this genocide. Sections shaded in red indicate destroyed buildings, homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, universities, hopes, dreams… Imagine a near-continuous urban area from Greenock to Rutherglen devastated. Or Falkirk to Leith. Girvan to Kilmarnock. Inverness to Forres. All with population densities far, far exceeding these areas’ true population densities: and imagine these were populations which consisted of 50% children It should also be noted that the population figures in the slides operate on the Oct 23 population density figure for Gaza (15096 per square mile). Middle East Eye reports today that 2 million Palestinians, displaced multiple times and with nowhere to go, are now confined to an area of just over 15 square miles, giving a population density of 132626 people per square mile, or 15x more dense than Glasgow. Just imagine that many people living with death, disease, and devastation all around them. And then imagine it was all around you. And then imagine just how earsplitting the outcry of the ‘international community’ would be if these atrocities were being committed on a Western, majority-white population by a non-Western ally. And then finally, ask yourself why Western governments are not doing everything they possibly can to bring an end to this genocide on the Palestinians, but rather funding and providing the weapons for it. It is unforgivable, genocidal white supremacy. The entire world would mobilise if ethnic cleansing was being enacted on us here, why is it not mobilising for Gaza?

🇵🇸 PROTESTORS DROWN OUT SCOTLAND-ISRAEL BROADCAST WITH CHANTS AND THE PALESTINIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM 🇵🇸 Whilst the #HampdenHero bravely chained himself to the goalpost on the pitch delaying the UEFA Women’s Football Match kick-off by about 20 minute, hundreds of protesters assembled outside the stadium to protest next to a ramp with a partial view of the pitch, drowning out the broadcast of the game with chants of ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘say it loud, say it clear, we don’t want no Zionists here!’, as well as multiple playthroughs of the Palestinian National Anthem. People watching the BBC Scotland broadcast reported being able to hear the chants, and the noise was such that Israeli TV cut its live feed of the game. Nights like this show the power that we have when we organise ourselves and stand together against what we know is wrong and abhorrent. And hosting a team which includes former IDF members and allowing an entity currently committing genocide to sportswash its reputation is a stain on the SFA, UEFA, and FIFA’s reputation. Russia was dropped from sporting bodies in a heartbeat after invading Ukraine - why the double standards? So once more, say it loud, say it clear: we don’t want no Zionists here! #FreePalestine #ShowIsraeliGenocideTheRedCard

A few weeks ago I spoke to trade union members from Unite and UNISON higher education branches who were taking strike action about what they want to see from Scotland’s newly elected MSPs. Higher education staff have been offered a 1.4% pay ‘increase’, far below the rate of inflation and in real terms a real cut. The workers demand that MSPs meet with them to discuss sustainable higher education funding

Please join me in observing a minute’s silence for Angus Robertson as he loses his seat to @scottishgreens @lornagreens and embarrassingly finished third behind Labour. His legacy as Culture and External Affairs Secretary will be one of managed cultural decline and offering our country up as a “friend” to Israel amidst its genocide in Palestine

Spoke to Glasgow’s finest residents today and they said to vote @scottishgreens @cllrhollybruce @iris_for_kelvinmaryhill to: 🟢 keep Reform and the far right out of Parliament 🟢 secure the biggest pro-independence majority in Parliament’s history 🟢 hold the SNP’s feet to the fire on fully implementing the state boycott of Israel

This exhibition by Doug Crabtree that is on display in Glasgow today and tomorrow depicts the vehicle and ambulance that were destroyed when the israeli occupation forces opened fire on the family of Hind Rajab as they were trying to evacuate Gaza on 29th January 2024. An IOF tank opened fire on the car, killing all but two of the family members, 15-year old Layan and 5 year old Hind. When Layan phoned the emergency services, she was killed by the tank’s machine gun fire. Hind then picked up the phone and spoke to the emergency services over several minutes (this call has been recorded). As the ambulance approached the car, the still-lurking tank fired a shell at the ambulance, killing the two paramedics in just one of many instances of double-tap strikes carried out by the IOF on emergency services responding to israeli atrocities. When emergency services finally reached the car, Hind’s body was found. In total 335 bullet holes were found in the family car. The exhibition serves as a stark reminder of the myriad atrocities that have been committed with impunity by israel not just in the last three years but over the last 78 years of occupation and genocide.

Trade union members from Glasgow School of Art @unisonatgsofa @gsaunitelearn took strike action today in response to the 1.4% pay offer from UCEA for higher education staff, which is vastly outpaced by the rate of inflation resulting in a real terms pay cut on top of the tens of thousands of pounds that workers have already lost in real terms over the last 10+ years. They then joined workers from various universities across Scotland taking strike action today, and called on Scotland’s incoming MSPs to meet with the trade unions to discuss the crisis in higher education and ensure that there is sustainable funding for a sector that is vital to our society, and fair pay for the workers who make Scotland’s ‘world class’ universities what they are.

Trade union members from UNISON and Unite took strike action at the University of Glasgow on Thursday and Friday last week in response to the 1.4% pay offer imposed on them by Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) last year. The 1.4% offer is well below the current rate of inflation, meaning that in real terms it is a pay cut. As a result of year-on-year real-term pay cuts over successive years, workers have lost the equivalent of an entire pay grade’s worth of pay in the last 10 years. As well as experiencing real-term pay cuts, staff are experiencing evermore challenging working conditions, with constantly increasing workloads and expectations as a result of roles not being replaced after redundancies. Some spoke of the knock-on effect this has on the student experience, with staff unable to provide the same level of service to students that they were previously. One speaker noted that the University is unable to invest in staff in part because it is currently constructing a new campus building to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds, for which it has had to take out a loan. @gu_jps have also stated that the University holds millions in investments and research ties with arms companies complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. In 2024, a university-wide consultation was held where 80% of staff and students voted in favour of divestment from these arms companies. This was ignored by University senior management. Through Freedom of Information requests, @declassifieduk last week found that the University of Glasgow is also among at least 21 universities that asked arms companies including BAE Systems, Leonardo and Thales to sit on their advisory committees, giving them direct influence over courses. Solidarity to the workers! Fair pay now!

IT’S TOMORROW!!!!😬😬😬 unfortunately due to health complicacions our dear @nameseyve has has to pull out of the gig tomorrow. We hope they recover real soon can’t wait to see them back! ❤️‍🩹 Our incredible friend @rubie____ is jumping in last minute to give Yas all the show you deserve! Expect incredible fucking music. “ Rubie is a songstress, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Her highly theatrical live shows blend high-drama balladry, polymetric twitch-pop, and transcendent plainsong, with sprawling songwriting referencing post-apocalyptic t4t love, demonic catgirls, and spiritual experiences in north London retail parks.“ Also, our lovely friend @fraz1409 will be raising funds for RSPB with his incredible limited 6x4 prints that you can buy at the show. Suggested donation of £5 each. @rspb.scotland “Fraz is a Glasgow-based photographer that thinks pigeons are true working class comrades that deserve all our love and respect after being abandoned by us in the 19th and 20th centuries. There will be 6x4in prints available to buy featuring pigeons from the Queen’s Park pond in the Glasgow Southside, as well as Moroccan pigeons from Marrakech. All proceeds will go to RSPB, which protects biodiversity and cares for nature in Scotland.” See ya tomorrow! Tickets in bio Pigeon photos by @fraz1409 RUBIE by @henrymills___

I had the pleasure of documenting @together_reaching_higher ’s entrepreneur showcase day at @thesocialhub.glasgow last week where 16 entrepreneurs launched their businesses. Together Reaching Higher has worked with the business owners over the last several months to support them as they set up and it was great to meet them all, learn about what they do, and even sample some of their tasty treats! I’ll detail the businesses below (you can also find their details on the final slide) - so please go and show them some love and support. I wish them all the very best! 3 - Hager Elegance @hager.elegance 4 - Ancient Touch 5 - Roots @rootsbydryl 7 - Wee Habibi Falafel - @weehabibifalafel 8 - Chef Huda 10 - Reemixify @reemixifyboxes 11 - Good Globe Fashion House @ggrefashion 12 - The Moon Bakery 14 - Printoree @printoree 15 - Finul 16 - Weaving Cultures Scotland @artworkbylili 17 - Faifley Mums and Toddlers Club

Anti-fascist demonstration in Edinburgh which vastly outnumbered a far-right ‘Unite The Clans’ rally that had been announced several months prior.