Political friends and foes alike mourn Scotland's fearless son and friend of Palestine

Scotland’s former First Minister Alex Salmond died suddenly on Saturday while speaking at a conference in North Macedonia. The political titan was 69, and probably the only Western leader of any substance to support Palestine.

Salmond was the first European politician to call for a ceasefire in the Middle East after Israel launched its genocidal attack on the tiny Gaza Strip within hours of the Hamas cross-border incursion on 7 October last year. His penultimate tweet before his untimely death was critical of the UK government’s decision to “stand with Israel” in “flagrant breaches of international law, in tens of thousands of civilian deaths over the last year.” The Alba Party leader reminded us that by upholding international law he would always be found on the right side of history, unlike British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Britain is the former colonial power and the Middle East is one of the few areas where what is said by the PM actually matters. Would a better policy not be to simply say “we stand to uphold international law and unequivocally back the UN’s pursuit of peace”? (3/3)

— Alex Salmond (@AlexSalmond) October 2, 2024

I was proud to call Alex Salmond my friend and political mentor.

He was my staunchest defender as I came under unrelenting attacks for criticising the evil ideology of Zionism and arch-Zionist Benjamin Netanyahu in my articles, and on pro-Palestine protests for the Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee.

He swatted away several attempts to have me removed from the party by those who objected to my unwavering support for the Palestinians’ right to justice and freedom. I believe that much of this was down to his own unwavering support for Scottish independence, a cause which he identified closely with the Palestinians’ 76-year struggle for independence and nationhood.

As news of his death of a suspected heart attack spread across Scotland, saltire flags were flown at half-mast for the former SNP leader who was Scotland’s first minister between 2007 and 2014. In recent years he formed and led the Alba Party.

The current First Minister, John Swinney, ordered the saltire to be flown at half-mast at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh where Salmond had once reigned supreme. It was the then SNP leader who ushered in a raft of progressive laws to maintain free university education, free medical prescriptions and ring-fenced funding for the NHS while pushing the cause of Scottish independence into the mainstream.

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Swinney said Salmond – who led the SNP twice and forged the deal with the UK government which led to an ultimately unsuccessful referendum on independence in 2014 – had “inspired a generation” to believe in independence. Indeed, political leaders, including his rivals past and present, queued up to pay tribute to him, as did King Charles, who said that Alex Salmond’s “devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service”. Political scientist and election expert Sir John Curtice described him as “the biggest figure in the 25 years of devolved politics in Scotland.”

Conservative MP David Davis said that the ex-SNP leader had “changed history” by moving Scottish independence to the top of his political agenda. “Ironically, in a different context, he would have made a great prime minister,” added Davis. “We’ve had few leaders as able as him in recent times.”

Davis, who described himself as a “close friend” of Salmond, used parliamentary privilege recently to criticise members of the Scottish government and said that he would keep pushing for further transparency on a scandalous lawsuit brought by a group of anonymous, high-powered women who have themselves become mired in accusations of perjury following the collapse of Salmond’s 2020 trial of Salmond for alleged sexual assault.

The former First Minister sued the Scottish government in 2023 over its botched handling of harassment claims against him, having been cleared of all charges. He was awarded £500,000 in legal costs after a 2019 judicial review found the government had mishandled complaints.

At the time of his death, Salmond was pursuing a fresh civil lawsuit for damages and loss of earnings, arguing that “not one single person has been held accountable” for what happened to him. It will now be up to his family if they decide to pursue the legal action on his behalf.

Alex Salmond launched Alba ahead of the 2021 Scottish Parliament election after resigning from the Scottish National Party.

One of his closest political allies and personal friends, Kenny MacAskill, SNP MP, defected to Alba.

It was Salmond’s government in 2009 that released Libyan Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi on humanitarian grounds. The man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing had been told that he had just three months to live.

US politicians targeted Scottish Justice Minister MacAskill following his decision to release Megrahi after serving just eight years of his 27-year sentence. MacAskill has always said that he bears sole responsibility for the decision. Despite huge international pressure Salmond defended his justice secretary, saying that he had made “the right decision for the right reasons” when he granted compassionate early release to the Libyan, who had terminal prostate cancer. The Lockerbie bomber, who was given a life sentence for blowing up Pan-Am Flight 103 and killing 270 people, died in May 2012.

This example on the international stage demonstrated how Salmond would defend and support his colleagues, a rare quality in the 21st century when less robust political leaders generally buckle under any sort of pressure from Washington.

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MacAskill, who is no longer an MP but is still deputy leader of Alba, praised his old boss. “His lifetime has delivered so much,” he said. “His political record was unsurpassed, I think, in Scottish politics, not simply in his generation, but going back many generations. This is a man who took a small party, persuaded me and others to join it, when Scotland was to some extent, and certainly the nationalist community [was], on its knees.” There wasn’t even a Scottish Parliament, MacAskill pointed out.

“There seemed no likelihood of one coming, and independence was viewed as a fanciful dream. This is a man who got us to a situation where we have a Holyrood parliament. We came within a whisker of independence in a referendum. And where independence now polls regularly not far off 50 per cent. That is the legacy of Alex Salmond, that one man delivered so much more.”

The co-founder of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Mick Napier, said that he was shocked and saddened by the death of Salmond and recalled the former FM’s visit to members of Scotland’s Jewish community to allay fears of anti-Semitism after a cemetery was vandalised. At the meeting, reported in the Jewish Telegraph in May 2010, the then FM reassured the gathering: “The Jews in Scotland aren’t facing a wave of anti-Semitic behaviour that is jeopardising this community. I don’t believe that the Jewish community is under siege nor do I believe that it feels itself to be under siege. I was appalled to learn about the graffiti that appeared in Glenduffhill Cemetery last year, but it was not the forerunner to a pattern of abuse, but an individual act of malice.”

He pledged to “root out anti-Semitic and racist behaviour through the courts wherever we find it and will do everything we can to monitor such behaviour. Our nation has been forged by inward and outward migration. Diversity brings richness to our lives and, as a Scot, I have benefited from the range of communities in Scotland.”

He also told the audience that it was possible to be critical of Israel without being anti-Jewish or anti-Semitic, something that Starmer would never admit.

“The Jewish people in Scotland aren’t judged by the actions of the State of Israel, nor do I think that you should accept that you are being judged by the policies of Israel,” said Salmond. “People have the right to engage in peaceful demonstrations and political commentary.”

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His words are still like a breath of fresh air compared with those of Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick who just a few days ago said that he wants to ban Palestine advocacy groups such as Friends of Al Aqsa. Moreover, at the recent Labour Party conference, it was revealed that delegates were banned from using the word “genocide”.

In a moving episode of “Turkish Tea Talk” that Salmond hosted for TRT World, the normally gregarious politician was visibly moved by the plight of refugees in war-torn Gaza as he interviewed Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah. The recently appointed Rector of the University of Glasgow and esteemed surgeon Abu-Sittah spoke about the vital medical care in the Palestinian enclave, and pointed out that the challenges faced by himself and other doctors was and remains unparalleled.

Abu-Sittah shed light on the use of banned weapons like white phosphorus and his tireless efforts to bring evidence of war crimes to the notice of the international authorities. Despite facing many obstacles, he remains steadfast in his commitment to advocacy for Palestine and defending freedom of speech.

It is because of programmes like this that many around the world will miss the media work of former FM Salmond whose talents stretched far beyond the corridors of Holyrood and government.

A statement from his family paid tribute to the “devoted and loving husband” of Moira Salmond following his death. “Alex was a formidable politician, an amazing orator, an outstanding intellect and admired throughout the world. He loved meeting people and hearing their stories, and showed incredible kindness to those who needed it.

“He dedicated his adult life to the cause he believed in — independence for Scotland. His vision and enthusiasm for Scotland and the Yes movement were both inspirational and contagious. But to us, first and foremost, he was a devoted and loving husband, a fiercely loyal brother, a proud and thoughtful uncle and a faithful and trusted friend.”

Alex Salmond was many things to many people not only in Scotland but across Asia and the Arab world. His unstinting support for justice for the oppressed people of Palestine made him a hero in their eyes. Closer to home, where he was also fighting for justice and independence, he was much loved and respected as a fearless Scottish leader.

Personally, I will miss him and mourn the loss of a dear and trusted friend who gave no quarter to those who tried to attack my support of the Palestinian cause. A light has gone out in the world today with his passing, and the Palestinians have lost a solid friend. Nevertheless, I and many others will make sure that his legacy of work towards independence and deep compassion will shine ever brightly in a world where justice and fearless leaders are in short supply.

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.