John Mason stripped of SNP whip over 'unacceptable' Gaza posts

SNP MSP John Mason has been stripped of the party whip after "completely unacceptable" social media posts about the conflict in Gaza.

The move comes days after External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson was pictured standing alongside Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the UK, Daniela Grudsky

Many SNP figures are highly critical of Israel’s conduct in the Middle East and the diplomatic encounter prompted an internal backlash.

But writing on X on Mr Mason, who represents Glasgow Shettleston, said the country's actions in Gaza did not amount to "genocide".

In response, a spokesperson for the SNP Chief Whip said: "To flippantly dismiss the death of more than 40,000 Palestinians is completely unacceptable.

"There can be no room in the SNP for this kind of intolerance.

"The Chief Whip has today withdrawn the whip from John Mason MSP with immediate effect, pending internal Parliamentary Group due process."

The spokesperson added the SNP Group would now meet to discuss the matter, with a recommendation of a fixed period suspension, for what they described as a "utterly abhorrent comment".

The withdrawal of the whip means Mr Mason is effectively expelled from the SNP and must sit as an independent MSP until it is restored.

BBC Scotland News has approached Mr Mason for comment.

On Wednesday Scotland's First Minister John Swinney defended the face-to-face meeting with Ms Grudsky.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.