Scottish MP defiant after party sacks him over ‘abhorrent’ Gaza remark

John Mason says helium would beryllium ‘happy’ to repetition remark that if Israel wanted to perpetrate Gaza genocide, it would person killed 10 times more.

The ruling governmental enactment successful Scotland has expelled an outspoken subordinate and lawmaker implicit “utterly abhorrent”, “flippant” and “completely unacceptable” comments astir Israel’s genocide against Palestinians successful Gaza.

John Mason of the Scottish National Party (SNP) confirmed his ouster connected Sunday, saying helium was “very disappointed” astir the party’s decision.

“I proceed to judge that we should beryllium capable to tolerate a assortment of views wrong the Party arsenic agelong arsenic we are each committed to Scottish independence,” the subordinate of the Scottish Parliament posted connected X, hinting that helium volition beryllium appealing his expulsion.

Mason connected Monday remained defiant, telling BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme that helium would beryllium “happy” to repetition the comments that led to his archetypal suspension.

“There is simply a quality betwixt warfare and genocide and to accidental that each warfare is genocide is not the mode we usage that word,” helium said.

In August, the 67-year-old subordinate of parliament since 2011, posted a remark connected societal media saying that “if Israel wanted to perpetrate genocide, they would person killed 10 times arsenic many” successful Gaza.

Mason was seemingly reacting to different remark made by a chap SNP subordinate of parliament, criticising the “massacre” of Palestinian civilians, including guiltless children, arsenic a genocide.

The SNP is simply a nationalist enactment that supports Scotland’s independency from the United Kingdom. Many of its members are seen arsenic captious of Israel’s military cognition successful Gaza, which has killed astatine slightest 42,289 radical and wounded 98,684 successful the past year.

After the contention implicit Mason’s comments successful August, the SNP conducted an interior deliberation connected his conduct.

An SNP spokesperson was besides quoted by quality reports arsenic criticising Mason, saying, “To flippantly disregard the decease of much than 40,000 Palestinians is wholly unacceptable.”

A connection from the SNP astatine that clip besides referred to his remark arsenic “utterly abhorrent”.

With Mason’s ouster, the enactment present holds 62 of the 129 seats successful the Scottish Parliament.