AN industry body that represents multiple firms arming Israel has ramped up its lobbying of MSPs.
The ADS Group has lobbied Scottish politicians 22 times so far in 2024 (compared with just seven meetings in 2022 and 11 in 2023), according to Holyrood’s lobbying register.
The organisation's Scotland arm is led by the ADS Scotland council, which includes senior executives from multiple multinationals active in selling arms to Israel, including Leonardo, Thales, Raytheon, and BAE Systems.
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Italian firm Leonardo reportedly makes laser targeting systems for Israeli jets from its factory in Edinburgh, while the company also made 30 Aermacchi M346 aircraft for the Israeli Air Force in 2016.
French firm Thales produces the Watchkeeper drone, developed with Israeli arms company Elbit Systems.
US arms multinational Raytheon Technologies – which employs roughly 600 Scots at a factory in Glenrothes – makes systems for Paveway smart bombs, which have previously been used in Gaza by the Israeli military.
Meanwhile, BAE Systems helps make the F-35 fighter jet which Israel has used to bomb Gaza.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities.
Scottish Tory MSPs were lobbied the most by the group – including current and former leaders Russell Findlay and Douglas Ross (above).
Nine of the meetings appeared to coincide with the ADS Group’s controversial Holyrood reception on February 21 this year.
Labour MSP Paul Sweeney (above) – who previously worked for arms firm BAE Systems – pulled out of sponsoring the event last minute amid pressure but was still in attendance and lobbied by the ADS Group on that day according to the register.
The most recent entry, meanwhile, was a meeting between the ADS Group and Scotland Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes on October 10 to discuss the industry’s “current priorities”.
A full interactive log of the meetings in 2024 and their “purpose” is below:
The ADS group regularly complained about the “lack of support” for the arms industry according to the register.
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It comes as pro-Palestinian activists have regularly targeted the offices and factories of arms firms active in Scotland amid Israel’s war on Gaza.
In several meetings, the group also lobbied MSPs to highlight the “importance of supporting the aerospace and defence sectors more vocally and widely” as well as to “help change public perception”.
Meanwhile, at times the group also discussed “ways for the Scottish Government and its agencies to collaborate more closely” with the industry.
Patrick Harvie (below), co-leader of the Scottish Greens, described the ADS Group as a “who’s who of the world’s worst arms dealers and war profiteers”.
He added that many of the companies represented by the group are fuelling war crimes and genocide against the people of Gaza” and that they are the “last people who should be welcomed into Holyrood”.
Harvie went on: "They are part of an industry that thrives on war, repression and violence. The fact that they don't understand why so many of us are so opposed to them and their business model speaks volumes about their total lack of any self-awareness.
"If they really want to improve their reputation, then the best thing these companies can do is end their complicity in atrocities, and finally stop arming, supporting and empowering human rights abusers around the world."
Harvie then suggested that the skilled engineers employed in the arms industry could instead play a “key role” in the green transition.
“But that can only happen if both the Scottish and UK Governments stop supporting the status quo,” he added.
A spokesperson for ADS Scotland said: “As an organisation that represents over 150 companies in sectors with more than 35,000 employees in Scotland and that provide a £3.3bn contribution to the Scottish economy, we regularly engage with a range of stakeholders in Government and Parliament to discuss Scotland’s aerospace, defence, security and space sectors.”
The Scottish Tories, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Government have been approached for comment.
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