MSPs have backed calls for a racism museum to be established in Scotland to help address historical links to the slave trade following an emotional debate at Holyrood.
Parliamentarians voted in favour of an amendment by Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie calling for the creation of such a facility during an anti-racism debate at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.
The motion called on “all levels of government” to address the “toxic legacy” of monuments and street names celebrating the “perpetrators and profiteers of slavery”.
It also considered that the UK Government “must immediately suspend all export licences for tear gas, rubber bullets and riot gear to the US”.
Some of Scotland’s most famous streets, buildings and monuments are named after individuals involved in slavery but their links have come under fresh scrutiny following the removal this week of a statue depicting slaver Edward Colston in Bristol.
During often emotional exchanges, a number of MSPs were almost moved to tears and justice secretary Humza Yousaf concluded the session with the last words of George Floyd.
Mr Floyd’s death in the US while being restrained on the ground by police has sparked protests worldwide and provided a catalyst for the issue to be discussed at Holyrood.
Mr Yousaf invited MSPs to imagine his pleas had come from their own loved ones as a police officer held a knee on their neck for nearly nine minutes.
He said: “I hope we’re all angry, that should be our overriding emotion when confronted with racism.
“I hope that every single one of us takes that anger and we use it to recommit ourselves as anti-racist. Let us be judged by our deeds – our deeds, not just our words.”
Turning to the issue of race in Scotland, Mr Yousaf said the death of Mr Floyd and other issues “force us to hold a mirror up to ourselves”.
“This is the part where we should all begin to feel uncomfortable,” he said.
“We have to accept the reality and the evidence in front of us, that Scotland has a problem of structural racism.
“Take this parliament as an example – over 300 MSPs have come and gone out of this parliament and in 20 years, not a single black member of the Scottish Parliament.”
Equalities minister Christina McKelvie described Scotland’s ties to slavery as a “terrible stain upon our history” and said the Scottish Government is working to improve the employment rates for ethnic minorities.
She said representation was “severely lacking” in the Scottish Parliament – Mr Yousaf and Labour MSP Anas Sarwar are currently the only members from the Bame community – and said support would be given to parties to improve diversity.
Mr Sarwar told parliamentarians it is easy to “take the knee” and post about Black Lives Matter when it is trending on social media but said “we will fundamentally judge you on the decisions you make and actions you take”.
Meanwhile, South Scotland MSP Brian Whittle’s voice wavered as he recalled being “shocked into silence” while witnessing racist abuse as a young athlete.
Mr Whittle, who won gold at the 1984 and 1986 European Athletics Championships and competed at the Seoul Olympics, said he was “ashamed” by his reaction to the ordeal but vowed he “wouldn’t stand by ever again”.
Scottish Conservative Mr Whittle recalled witnessing, during a trip to London, a former manager and his two friends repeatedly revving their car towards an elderly Sikh man who was attempting to cross the road.
“I sat in the back in absolute shock, and I am ashamed to say, shocked into silence,” Mr Whittle said.
“I couldn’t get my head around how anyone could treat another human being like that, let alone how others could find it funny.
“From that moment on I wanted to go home. I didn’t sleep, I ran like a drain the next day and I just wanted to get back on the plane.
“I kept thinking that what I should have done was to have gotten out of that car and helped that man across the road irrespective of the circumstances.”
Mr Whittle admitted he was “ashamed of my inaction so much” that he only told fellow GB sprinter Phil Brown about the incident for the first time last week.
