Inspiring activism: attending the Scotland Regional Gathering 2025

This blog originally featured in the Amnesty Scotland newsletter for activists.

On 7 June, two members of the Scotland team (Neil and Marie) made their way to Perth to attend the first large-scale meeting of Scotland’s local activist groups since before the pandemic. Hosted at St Ninian’s Cathedral in Perth in partnership with the Perth Minorities Association, the Scotland Regional Gathering was a fantastic opportunity for local activists to reintroduce themselves, share new campaigning and fundraising ideas, and hear from expert speakers about pressing issues like the crises in Gaza and Kashmir.

The conference opened with an update on the Scotland team’s current priorities from Scotland Programme Director Neil Cowan. Then, representatives from seven local groups across Scotland gave energetic presentations about their current projects and latest successes, and shared useful tips on how to maximise public engagement and boost fundraising in the post-Covid era (apparently, card readers are the future!). There was also time to discuss the actions that local groups want to try next, and the Community Organising and Scotland Office teams look forward to assisting with these!

After a short break, Edinburgh-based Palestinian author and speaker Diline Abushaban gave a brave and uplifting talk about her family’s lived experience of the genocide in Gaza, as well as about the devastating impact that colonial apartheid has had on the lives of Palestinians across Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Diline rounded out her presentation by sharing her own heartfelt poetry and her family recipe for a Palestinian hot tomato and dill salad (daggah ghazzawiyah or سلطة غزاوية), a testament to the power of traditional dishes to preserve cultural memory in the face of settler colonialism.

Diline was followed by Amnesty Country Coordinator for Israel/OPT, Jack Farrar, who spoke on the unique nature of settler colonialism and the ways it plays out in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Presenting anger as a tool for change, Jack gave a fiery talk designed to inspire attendees to action and highlighted Amnesty International UK’s renewed campaign to ban Israeli settlement goods in the UK (see also our handraiser action here).

Finally, after a hearty lunch, a photo session and the opportunity to nab some Amnesty Scotland campaigning materials, members of the Perth Minorities Association teamed up with Amnesty International’s Country Coordinator for India, Cherry Bird, to give a series of short presentations on Kashmir, providing attendees with a valuable insight into this poorly understood region, its history of conflict, and the experiences of the modern Kashmiri diaspora.

The Amnesty Scotland team would like to thank Community Organising, Perth local group members, and St Ninian’s Cathedral for organising and hosting such an inspiring event. The gathering was a roaring success and we very much look forward to attending the next one in 2026!