Scottish Greens urge voters to choose 'hope over hate'

7 May 2019

Image caption,
The manifesto was launched by Scottish Green co-conveners Patrick Harvie and Maggie Chapman

The Scottish Greens have urged voters to choose "hope over hate" as they launched their manifesto for the forthcoming European election.

The party said it was the "antidote to toxic far right hate" across the UK and Europe, and that voting Green would be a vote to "stop Brexit".

It also says it is the only party that takes the climate emergency seriously, and that has a plan to tackle it.

The European Parliament election is due to be held on 23 May.

The Greens, who are pro-independence and want another referendum on EU membership, argue that it will be the most important European election ever as it is a chance for Scottish voters to "send a message that our democratic decision to stay in the EU must be respected".

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Their manifesto states: "Ultimately, we believe that Scotland's future should be as an independent nation within the EU, working with others to overcome the great challenges of our time, such as the climate emergency, and to build a democratic and inclusive Europe that is environmentally sustainable and socially just."

The party's key manifesto pledges include:

Stopping Brexit and securing Scotland's place at the heart of Europe
The creation of millions of jobs across Europe with a Green New Deal
Creating a welcoming Scotland in a welcoming Europe

The Scottish Greens have never had an MEP.

But the party's co-convener Maggie Chapman said the country needs a Green voice in Europe to "fight for a just and welcoming society and for the radical change that's needed to tackle the climate emergency, which is the defining issue of our age".

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Speaking to the 91�ȱ�'s Good Morning Scotland programme, she said: "We are pro-European, we are pro EU, we are pro-independence. We are the only party that takes the climate emergency seriously and has a plan to sort it out.

"So if people want a strong voice for Scotland in the European Parliament then voting Green is actually the only way to deliver that."

Ms Chapman, who tops the party's list of candidates for the election, claimed that there had been an an increased number of "targeted attacks" against Eastern European communities in Scotland since the Brexit vote.

She added: "That's just not the kind of Scotland we want to live in. It's not the message that the Scottish Greens want. We know we have a positive message, we know Scotland wants to be a just and welcoming nation and that's what we're standing for."