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.

The Writers in Exile committee of Scottish PEN invites you to join us to celebrate the English language publication of ‘The Last Pomegranate Tree’ by the internationally acclaimed, award-winning Kurdish writer Bachtyar Ali.

Scottish PEN is collaborating with Seahorse Publications, bringing writers together to share their response to Gaza through poetry and prose.

Scottish PEN member Peter Clive submitted the following poems in reply to our recent post, Scottish poets respond to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. We encourage further poetic and literary submissions as our organisation continues to raise awareness of the situation and campaign for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.