CCA apologise for treatment of Palestine protesters

Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) has been closed since the shameful incident on 24 June when the arts centre called police to remove pro-Palestinian activists from the building. The Art Workers for Palestine Scotland (AWFPS) group had planned to host a week-long fringe programme of workshops and screenings in CCA’s courtyard. The peaceful event was being held in response to the CCA Board’s decision not to endorse the BDS movement or PACBI (Political, Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel).

What resulted on the first day of the programme was an ugly scene where vans of police officers turned up to remove AWFPS from the CCA building, and a standoff ensued outside CCA, during which a 63-year-old woman, who was taking part in AWFPS’s festival, was arrested by the police and was injured during the process. 

CCA have now released a statement apologising for the part they played. They write: “We sincerely regret the outcome of our decisions on 24 June and that an individual was injured. We recognise that a lack of clarity on our choices had real human consequences, and for this we are deeply sorry.”

The arts organisation went on to apologise for their lack of communication with the public following this incident and has laid out how they hope to begin the process of repairing their reputation and regaining trust from Glasgow’s arts community. They’ve also committed to a change of leadership. They’re recruiting a new financial manager after the current one, Steven Thomson, was reported to have shown supported a hateful and ableist comment on Instagram about pro-Palestinian protesters outside CCA. The recruitment for the role begins this month. 

There’s also going to be a shakeup of the board that has overseen this ignoble period in CCA’s history. The current chair will step down in October 2025, and new board members will be recruited to “widen the scope of experience, background, and representation, including global majority voices”. Once these changes to the board have taken place, CCA say they will look again at the possibility of endorsing PACBI, but for the meantime, there is no formal endorsement. 

While there is some way to go, these are concrete changes that show the power of protest. Our arts community here in Scotland deserve better leadership in our cultural institutions, and the arts community clearly demand that these organisations be part of the worldwide movement towards justice and liberation for the people of Palestine. CCA's management seems to be moving in the right direction at last, and it's clear that Scotland's arts community will continue to hold them to account. 

We’re told the CCA will reopen on 25 August. The full statement is published below. In a response on the Art Workers for Palestine Instagram account, AWFPS said: "CCA’s statement marks a vital change of direction towards real institutional decolonisation, paving the way for a formal endorsement of PACBI. While these assurances are welcome, there is now clearly work to be done. We now call on everyone to hold the CCA accountable to the change it has set out." Read AWFPS' full response here.

CCA Statement: August 2025 

CCA Glasgow acknowledges the disruption, confusion and harm experienced over recent weeks, particularly by our community, artists, staff, tenants and partners. We sincerely regret the outcome of our decisions on 24 June and that an individual was injured. We recognise that a lack of clarity on our choices had real human consequences, and for this we are deeply sorry.

We acknowledge the delay in external communications, as we focused first on internal dialogue so that we could provide clear and considered information when speaking publicly. We are listening and know that trust cannot be repaired with words alone, but through consistent, honest, and long-term work.

CCA is committed to lasting change, to listening more openly, making space for conversation, and taking shared responsibility. We are working to refresh our processes to ensure leadership reflects our principles, to amplify staff voices and to meet the changing needs of CCA. Through this, we remain committed to meaningful engagement first within the organisation, and then with all those we work with and serve. This includes constructive dialogue with those who have raised concerns.

Reopening will require a collective effort across our entire community. We now ask for your support and patience as we undertake this process of reflection and repair.

Leadership and Governance Changes

Meaningful change must be material across all levels of the Institution. The CCA Board had previously agreed on a period of turnaround, which would happen this year. Recent events have now accelerated these plans. In the coming months CCA will:

- Recruit new board members, with an aim to widen the scope of experience, background, and representation, including global majority voices.
-Our current Chair completes her term of office in October 2025.
-Recruit a new Finance Manager in August 2025.
-Launch recruitment for a new permanent leadership for CCA, with timelines to be confirmed following board appointments.
-Working with external partners, including stakeholders and funders, to ensure these processes are transparent and inclusive.

CCA Ethics and PACBI

We condemn the violence of the Israeli state, the ongoing occupation, genocide, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. We stand firmly against all forms of oppression and in support of the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people.

We respect the calls for CCA to endorse PACBI (the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel). We are grateful to those who have challenged us and held us to account and have clearly and powerfully expressed the need for cultural institutions to take a stand.

We recognise the urgency of the call to endorse PACBI. While the CCA will reopen without a formal endorsement, we are now working towards adopting an ethical fundraising and programming policy. CCA will revisit the decision on endorsement of PACBI when the new leadership is in place.

CCA is now liaising with sector bodies and working to rebuild trust, re-engage with artists and communities, and continue dialogue. CCA will engage in open and respectful discussions with those who have expressed concern about its future and purpose.

We ask now for time to complete this process with the depth it deserves.

Reopening

CCA is now working towards reopening w/c 25th August.

We will update CCA's Current Situation web page as we progress.