MSP John Mason will not appeal SNP expulsion over Gaza genocide comment and will sit as independent

Former SNP member John Mason will not appeal his expulsion from the party over comments made about the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Mason, the MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, will now sit as an independent.

He said in a statement on social media: “The SNP when I joined it was a ‘big tent’ or ‘broad church’ type of party, allowing a wide variety of views within it, as long as there was a commitment to Scottish independence.

“However, it does seem to have become less tolerant and narrower over the years,” adding that the party “is not as inclusive as it used to be.”

“I do not think that my spinning out the process even longer would be to anyone’s benefit. Therefore, I have very reluctantly decided not to appeal”, Mason said.

Mason added that he planned to sit as an independent until the next Scottish Parliament election in 2026.

He attracted fury from members of his own party in August when he posted on social media: “If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many.”

The comment was in reaction to former SNP MSP Sandra White, who had said: “We know what Israelis hope to achieve they are already committing genocide in Gaza,” adding that “innocent children are being massacred”.

After the decision to remove the whip in August, a party spokesperson 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“The chief whip has today withdrawn the whip from John Mason MSP with immediate effect, pending internal parliamentary group due process.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 SNP group will now meet to discuss the matter, with a recommendation that the whip be suspended from John Mason for a fixed period of time because of this utterly abhorrent comment.”

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked a year ago, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250.

Around 100 hostages are still held in Gaza but a third are believed to be dead.

Israel’s bombardment and its ground invasion of Gaza have killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, and left much of the territory in ruins.

Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 fighters.