Posted on 12/11/2001 5:21:06 AM PST by areafiftyone
Pro-Palestinian protesters have burned an effigy of Bill Clinton outside a hotel where the former US president was speaking at a controversial fundraising event.
Dozens of protesters turned up outside the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow before Mr Clinton addressed more than 750 people at a Jewish charity function on Monday night.
They condemned efforts to raise cash for the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and said the group contributed to problems in the Middle East.
These claims were rejected by the JNF, which said the event aimed to raise cash for agricultural projects.
This was Mr Clinton's second visit to Scotland this year. In May he made a surprise visit to St Andrews for a round of golf at the world-famous Old Course during the final leg of a European tour.
On Monday he played another round of golf at Turnberry, in Ayrshire, before heading on to the Glasgow event.
He arrived at the hotel still wearing casual golfing clothes and told reporters: "It's lovely. I'm glad to be back.
"I have had a wonderful time - it's a beautiful day. It's a little warmer than I thought it would be."
Mr Clinton said he would talk "a little about current events" during his speech at the £125-a-head dinner.
'Travel is safe'
He said: "I am quite confident that we are going to prevail in this conflict in Afghanistan.
"I think our defences will get better at home. I think we have to build a world where we have fewer terrorists and more partners, and that means we have work to do after this conflict is over that is every bit as important as what we are doing now."
The former US president said he had never given any thought to cancelling his trip to Scotland in the current climate.
He said: "I think air travel is safe, and I think the purpose of terror is to make people change their lives, to make us afraid of today, afraid of tomorrow, afraid of each other - and we should not be."
He also declined to comment on the protests ahead of his speech in Glasgow.
He added: "I can't comment on the protests because I don't know what they are upset about."
Mr Clinton's speech was part of an initiative to help the JNF raise up to £1m.
The charity began life long before the establishment of Israel, with the goal of buying land for Jewish settlers in Palestine.
'Undermining peace process'
It now focuses on the building of reservoirs and creation of green space.
Many prominent members of Scotland's Jewish community turned out at the event.
But some critics said Mr Clinton was supporting a group which was undermining the peace process in the Middle East.
Scottish Trades Unions Congress (STUC) General Secretary Bill Speirs said that although the JNF did support "agricultural projects" it remained involved in questionable activities.
He said: "The difficulty is that they do much more than that and they are engaged in exercises that are extremely undermining to any possibility of a peace process."
He said the JNF had built roads to connect Jewish settlements in disputed territories around Israel and said the group's website refers to "strong links" with Israeli defence forces.
These allegations were denied by JNF representative Abbie Ben Ari who said that Mr Clinton would not have risked his reputation to address a "racist organisation".
Referring to the Middle East conflict, he said: "Mr Clinton has given literally thousands upon thousands of hours of trying to bring the two sides together."
He said that if the former US president thought the JNF was "practising apartheid" then he would not have agreed to the engagement.
Marital infidelities
The Scottish Executive's decision to send Minister for Parliament Patricia Ferguson to the charity gala has also been condemned.
Glasgow Kelvin MP George Galloway said it was "a disgrace that the executive has decided to be officially represented".
Event organisers rejected this and said the dinner was simply a chance to listen to one of the most fascinating characters in the world.
One person who was not in the audience on Monday night was Scotland's First Minister Jack McConnell.
It was reported that he withdrew from the engagement amid fears that sections of the media would choose to focus on his and Mr Clinton's past marital infidelities
Boy, isn't that the truth. I would have loved to been in the group protesting.
The Holiday *Best* of Bill Clinton & his Friends!
-clintonism in one easy lesson--
Are they so illiterate, they don't know who the U.S. president is?
Former US President Bill Clinton has told a charity dinner that the different peoples of the world must use their "common humanity" to unite in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the US.
Mr Clinton also used his address to the Jewish National Fund dinner at the Hilton Hotel, Glasgow, to thank Britain for its support following the events of September 11.
He said the world had to be built with "more partners and fewer terrorists". He told guests during a 40-minute speech: "They (terrorists) believe our differences are all that matter. Most of us believe that common humanity matters more."
The former president told guests how grateful he was for the support of Britain in the immediate aftermath of September 11.
"I want you to know how profoundly grateful the US people are for our friendship with all of you in the three months since the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon.
"You can't imagine what it meant to the US people for them to turn on their TV and see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace and the Queen's band playing the US National Anthem."
He criticised 300 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had gathered outside the hotel to protest his presence at the dinner. About a dozen demonstrators dumped a burning effigy of Mr Clinton about 20 feet from the entrance to the hotel, forcing security staff to put out the flames with fire extinguishers.
He said they were overlooking the fact that military action was taken to protect Muslims in Kosovo and the fact that 500 Muslims died in the World Trade Centre.
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