SCOTLAND'S charity regulator has scrapped a complaint accusing the Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) of breaching charity law by not serving Coca-Cola products from the cinema bar.
It comes after the charity-run cinema announced that Coca-Cola products will no longer be served following a boycott from the cinema’s staff over the brand's links to Israel.
Unite Hospitality announced the workers' demands had been met last week.
A wider review of the GFT’s relationship with other goods and organisations connected to the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement was also announced.
A spokesperson for GFT said: :The request by Unite union members of staff that GFT join the BDS movement is under review by GFT’s Board of Trustees. The goal of the review is to ensure that any decisions made do not infringe our legal and charitable obligations and that all staff can have their voices heard.
"Glasgow Film Theatre is a not-for-profit educational charity committed to delivering its mission of Cinema For All. We are mindful of all the communities we serve and our responsibilities as a charity, and are happy to respond to any request for information from OSCR."
The cinema was then reported to Scotland’s charity regulator by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).
The organisation wrote a letter to OSCR, the independent regulator for charities in Scotland, alleging breaches of sections seven and eight of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.
They claimed that support for boycotts like BDS are outside GFT’s charitable purposes and therefore illegal.
But the complaint has been dismissed by OSCR.
An OSCR spokesperson told The National: "We have assessed the concerns raised and concluded that they do not present a regulatory issue.
"The matter is for the charity to decide, and therefore, OSCR will not be taking any further action."
Caroline Turner, director of UKLFI, said: “The political activism undertaken by the GFT by boycotting Coca-Cola products is clearly not in line with the GFT’s legal and charitable obligations, and brings the reputation of the GFT into disrepute, both as a business and a charity.”
“We urge the Board of Trustees to reconsider their position and stop the boycott.“
The Glasgow Film Theatre have been approached for comment.
