A petition from expelled scout leader Pete Gregson to UK Chief Scout Bear Grylls has raised over 1,000 signatures, just a month after it was launched on Change.Org.

Gregson, treasurer of the 150th Craigalmond Scout Group, was expelled for being affiliated to the Campaign Against Bogus Antisemitism (CABA). He holds the Chief Scout’s award from Bear Grylls and is shocked and upset at his treatment. He believes the Scouts appear to be working to the IHRA [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] definition of anti-Semitism which equates criticism of Israel to anti-Semitism. But Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss of Neturei Karta writes in support, saying: “Pete is in no way anti-Jewish.”

In the 10 years that Gregson has been a volunteer, he has never mentioned his politics at Scout meetings. However, following a complaint, he was suspended, and after one year with no interview and no right to respond, expelled.

His crime? At the request of the 150th Committee, in 2017 he put up an advertisement on behalf of the Scout Group seeking volunteers for the committee, along with his personal landline phone number as a contact for more information (there was no interest and the advert was taken down after a few months).

A complaint was lodged that this was the same number as the one used on the CABA Facebook page, that was published when CABA was launched five years later, in March 2022. He was immediately suspended – and expelled on 30 June 2023.

He had previously given 10 years’ service at Scout executive meetings, organising finances and payment for youth leader expenses, fundraising at fetes, preparing and submitting accounts for the Scout group for its charity registration, claiming Gift Aid from parents from HMRC (His Majesty’s Revenues and Customs – the British tax authority), organising annual general meetings, Christmas sing-a-longs, etc.

Gregson decided to call upon the chief scout for reinstatement through a petition which can be viewed here. He has also submitted an appeal to the National Scout Safeguarding Officer.

Gregson says:

What is quite shocking is that the Scouts felt that my political activities were of relevance to them. In March 2010 the World Scout Committee issued a statement on human rights issues which affirmed its “unequivocal adherence to the principles of human rights expressed in the UN Declaration”. A key plank of the UN Declaration, Article 19, states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” It appears that the UK Scout Association has breached both my human rights and World Scout Committee declarations. For I am entitled to my political views, which I have never articulated in a scouting environment.

-ends-

More info from Pete Gregson on 0758 472 2191.

Chris Williamson, the MP expelled from Labour for observing that anti-Semitism in the Labour Party had been blown up for political purposes, has interviewed Gregson for Resist TV. The interview, the Chief Scouts Award from Bear Grylls, expulsion letter and the letter from the Rabbi can be viewed on the petition website here. Gregson’s appeal to the National Scout Safeguarding Officer against expulsion is here .

Gregson stood for election as an independent in the Corstorphine/ Murrayfield Council byelection of March 2023; his local polling place was his scout hall, from which he was barred entry by his Scout suspension letter. He drew almost 300 votes. More on his campaign website here.

As chair of the Edina-Gaza Twinning Association, Gregson persuaded Edinburgh City Council last August to call Edinburgh Partnership to explore joint projects with Gaza (see here)

• Bear Grylls can be contacted at Chief.Scout@scouts.org.uk
• His Director of Communications, for Bear Grylls Ventures, is Elizabeth Webb, at Lizzie@beargryllsventures.com
• The Chief Scout’s Head of Press is Simon Carter at Simon.Carter@scouts.org.uk
• The UK Scout Association National Safeguarding Officer is on 020 8433 7164 and at 

The UK Scouts chief executive is Matt Hyde

YouGov (at www.tinyurl.com/YouGovPal) report 23 per cent of the public support Palestine, with just 10 per cent for Israel – yet our leaders favour Israel. Why?