Glasgow Pride sees radical boycott over sponsors’ ties to Israel

Hundreds of activists protested Scotland’s Glasgow Pride’s sponsorship ties to Israel by marching in a designated ‘Radical Bloc’, including the Glasgow Greens, the Scottish TUC, and Glasgow Stop the War.

“No Pride in Genocide”

Last week, Glasgow Pride’s list of sponsors – including energy company SSE, chemical firm Merck, and multinational finance company JP Morgan Chase & Co – drew heavy criticism from pro-Palestine and climate activists. The coalition of groups and activist demand that Glasgow’s Pride drop their partnerships and collaborations with all companies which are tied to and profit off the Israeli occupation of and genocide in Palestine.

So, on the morning of Saturday 20 July, hundreds of activists gathered in Festival Park before the start of Glasgow’s Pride march. Instead of joining the main body of the procession, the group arrived to form a ‘Radical Bloc’ within the march:

Hundreds of people today making the #noprideingenocide radical bloc unofficially at Glasgow Pride today, opposing Pride's official complicit corporate sponsors and linking the rights of Palestinians, trans ppl and women. None are free until all are free. pic.twitter.com/C2vRzqZl6L

— gawanmac 🇵🇸 (@gawanmac) July 20, 2024

Waving Palestine flags and holding signs reading ‘No one is free until we are all free’, the group loudly protested Glasgow Pride’s ‘pinkwashing’ and complicity with the ongoing violence in Gaza:

The “No Pride in Genocide” bloc in Glasgow today was by far the largest and vibiest section of the pride march pic.twitter.com/8qEkXRFAKm

— James Greig (@jamesdgreig) July 20, 2024

video i took from glasgow pride yesterday 🙂

large parts of the pride parade were against israeli genocide and that makes me so happy pic.twitter.com/SM31b1Q941

— susie🪻💙 (@suzietherock) July 21, 2024

Smaller groups of activists also staged banner drops at points along the march route.

Glasgow Pride: facing heavy criticism

The bloc was organised by a No Pride in Genocide Glasgow, a broad coalition of LGBTQ+ Glaswegians demanding that Glasgow’s Pride reject companies directly profiting from Israel’s illegal occupation and ongoing genocide in Palestine.

Glasgow’s Pride official partners Merck and JPMorganChase have have significant financial investments in Israel and profit directly from Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

Joshua*, who took part in the march, said:

By allowing these companies into our community spaces – even worse, taking their money – Glasgow Pride as good as condones their connection to the horrors coming out of Gaza. Celebrating them in this way, acting as if their ‘gay-friendliness’ excuses their financial support of a genocide, is the opposite of what Pride is about

Councillor Holly Bruce, equalities spokesperson for the Glasgow Green Cllr group who gave a speech at the rally at Festival Park, said:

As a queer woman and Feminist I know the value and proud history of communities standing together in their fight for human rights. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be addressing the radical bloc and will make it clear that whether we’re in the council chambers or marching on the streets Greens will always stand for LGBTQ+ rights and a Free Palestine.

Before the radical bloc set off today 'No Pride in Genocide Glasgow' kindly asked @cllrhollybruce to address the huge crowd gathered there to show solidarity between the LGBTQ+ community and the Palestinian people.

No pride on a dead planet! No pride in genocide!

🇵🇸🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈✊ pic.twitter.com/0Hy3eD0Ynf

— Glasgow Green Party (@glasgowgreens) July 20, 2024

Earlier this week, the Glasgow Green’s released a statement announcing that they would be joining the Radical Bloc, after an email conversation with Glasgow’s Pride in which they criticised their choice of sponsorship. In the exchange, the Glasgow’s Pride team framed any pro-Palestine presence as being against the LGBT+ community, and informed the Greens that they had passed on the email to Police Scotland.

‘Every fight for justice is linked’

In the days that followed, many groups participating in Glasgow’s Pride, including the Scottish TUC, the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and Glasgow Stop the War, alongside multiple community organisations and sports teams, announced that they would be joining the bloc.

Ellie Gomersall, Glasgow Greens committee member and LGBTQ+ activist said:

Scottish Greens know that every fight for justice is linked. There’s no conflict in standing for a Free Palestine and LGBTQ+ rights, just as there’s no conflict in fighting for a fairer economy as we tackle the climate crisis.

As members of the queer community, as eco-socialists, as human beings we’ll be proud to march in the radical bloc and lend our voices in support for an end to pinkwashing and complicity in genocide & the climate crisis. There’s no pride on a dead planet and no pride in genocide.

The Equalities, Diversity & Inclusion officer of Glasgow Sunflowers, a community baseball team based in southside, said:

Glasgow Sunflowers are marching in the Radical Bloc alongside No Pride in Genocide as we believe in the power and responsibility of queer community and queer liberation. A corporate, pink-washed Pride does not represent us, nor who we are, as Pride began as and will always be a protest. Freedom and revolution are what any pride march should be about.

The FC Committee of Gender Goals, Scotland’s first football club by and for trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people, said:

Glasgow Pride’s corporate sponsorship conflicts with our principles and values as trans members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Accepting sponsorship from organisations that are reappropriating our queer experiences through pinkwashing, and their refusal to listen to the voices they claim to represent is unacceptable. This is why we have decided to proudly march with our queer kin in the radical bloc, standing firm against the pinkwashing of genocide.

Glasgow Pride: no pride at all?

The activist coalition are calling on Glasgow’s Pride to refuse all partnerships, sponsorships, and participation in Pride from companies and organisations that profit directly or indirectly from the Israeli occupation of Palestine. They also ask that the organisations sponsorship process be made democratic and community led, and that Glasgow Pride publicly opposes Israel’s war crimes.

Sophia, an organiser with No Pride in Genocide Glasgow, said:

Over the past few weeks, Glasgow’s Pride has shown that they are not willing to listen to the concerns and values of the community they claim to represent – to respond to criticism by threatening to call the police on your own queer siblings is inexcusable. Today, we have shown that the queer community of Glasgow will not tolerate our community being used as a cover for corporate greed and international violence, and we deserve a Pride which reflects that.

Last month, organisers successfully pressured Edinburgh Pride to drop Aegeon sponsorship, and No Pride in Genocide/Queers for Palestine groups have emerged across the UK with activists demanding that LGBT organisations and events cut ties with Israel.

*Names have been changed.

Featured image via Glasgow Green Party