Scottish campaigners hold vigil for Gaza children outside parliament
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Campaigners in Scotland are holding a 10-hour vigil outside the Scottish Parliament to remember Palestinian children killed in Gaza and to call on the UK government to end its complicity.
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A Palestinian child struggles to get donated food at a community kitchen in Gaza on July 26, 2025 (AP)
Campaigners in Scotland will hold a 10-hour vigil outside the Scottish Parliament to honour the memory of thousands of children killed in Gaza over the past two years of "Israel’s" ongoing assault on the besieged Strip.
Led by Mothers Against Genocide Scotland, the vigil coincides with the first First Minister’s Questions (FMQs) of the 2025/2026 parliamentary session. It will begin at 8 am and continue until 6 pm, with speakers addressing the crowd at the end of the day.
As part of the protest, demonstrators will read aloud the names of Palestinian children killed in Gaza and will display more than 700 handmade kites, created by children and families across Scotland. Each kite carries a personal message of solidarity with the Palestinian people, symbolizing both remembrance and resistance.
Silence 'not an option'
A spokesperson for Mothers Against Genocide Scotland described the initiative as a deeply personal and moral stand, saying, “Mothers Against Genocide Scotland is a collective of parents and carers advocating for Palestine and all oppressed peoples."
"We have been working with communities across Scotland all summer to make these solidarity kites, each handmade with love and care. They carry the messages of support for the people of Palestine," they added.
"We bring them here to remind our politicians of their obligations under international law to protect civilians from genocide. While we welcome some recent steps recognising ‘Israel’s’ war crimes, they are long overdue — it should not have taken 22 months of brutal assaults for these actions to begin."
The UK government’s response has been "pitiful" and continues to enable "Israel to act with impunity," Speakers to Demand Action expressed.
The vigil will feature speakers including Dundee City councillor Nadia el-Nakla, whose family remains trapped in Gaza.
“As mothers and as human beings, we will not remain silent in the face of genocide,” said el-Nakla.
“Each name we read today is a child lost — a future stolen. Gathering outside the Scottish Parliament is a powerful reminder that those in power must act and refuse complicity.
"For me, this is not only political but deeply personal. Every day brings grief and fear. But even in our pain, we must raise our voices. Silence is not an option when children are being massacred.”
Other speakers include Selina Hales, founder of Refuweegee; activist Talat Yaqoob; Professor Alison Phipps; and members of Mothers Against Genocide Scotland.
Calls for boycott and accountability
Campaigners will call on the UK government to officially recognize the genocide in Gaza, end all arms sales to "Israel", and introduce full boycotts, divestments, and sanctions (BDS) targeting Israeli trade and cultural partnerships.
The vigil follows a significant move by the Scottish Government, which voted earlier this week to implement a BDS programme and announced an end to public funding for companies supplying weapons to "Israel".
Actress and producer Caitríona Balfe, a vocal supporter of Mothers Against Genocide, expressed her support ahead of the vigil:
“Children are the innocents who we all have a responsibility to protect. We must stop the killing, the starvation, the deprivation of medicine. We must stop the destruction of families. We must recover our humanity and demand peace.”
According to the United Nations, around 17,000 Palestinian children have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, with over 30,000 seriously injured by Israeli airstrikes and bombardments.
