As the Edinburgh Festival Fringe comes to a close for another year, Scottish PEN finds itself in a position for a second year running where it must express regret regarding a continuing situation in Scotland and beyond.

Scottish PEN is shocked and appalled at the level of violence used by Police Scotland against peaceful activists on Wednesday 3rd July 2024.

At the request of Scottish PEN member Heather Kiernan, working with the Hands Up Project, Scottish PEN organised a call-out to Scottish poets to respond to ‘Moon Tell Me Truth’, illustrated poems by children in Gaza exhibited at the Scottish Poetry Library during June.

Scottish PEN is deeply concerned about reported police aggression towards peaceful protesters at Thales Arms Factory, Govan, on Wednesday 15 May 2024. The protest peacefully and successfully closed down Thales Arms Factory that day in an effort to draw attention to and disrupt the company’s production of components for Israeli military drones, used in Israel’s genocide in Palestine.

Scottish PEN is appalled by the news that Dr Ghassan Abu-Sitta was prevented from entering France on Saturday 4th May 2024. Dr Abu-Sitta is a renowned British-Palestinian plastic surgeon, rector of Glasgow University, and a witness to the genocide in Gaza.

We have had to take the decision to postpone the event, ‘Declarations: On Freedom for Writers, Readers and Palestine’, which had been due to take place at Lighthouse Bookshop on Friday, 5th April.

We hope to reschedule the event for a date later this year.

Having refused to evacuate from Ukraine, writer and illustrator Malvina is allowing us to share some of her work with her fellow Scottish PEN members.

Scottish PEN with the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH)and GENDER.ED invite you to an inspiring afternoon event on International Women’s Day, Friday 8 March, in central Edinburgh.