Green Party members back 'Zionism is racism' motion
UK Green Party activists at the Brighton conference vote 1,022 to 813 to approve a policy motion declaring Zionism as racism.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Green Party members voted 1,022 to 813 to endorse the Zionism is racism motion.
- The vote exposed internal divisions between the expanded membership and MPs.
- Jewish community groups raised serious concerns regarding member safety.
- Leader Zack Polanski did not vote and saw his proposed amendments rejected.
Green Party activists attending the annual conference in Brighton, United Kingdom, have voted by 1,022 to 813 to endorse a controversial policy motion stating that Zionism is racism. The vote and subsequent discussions dominated the three-day political gathering.
The policy motion claims that the material manifestation of Zionism has resulted in the ongoing dehumanisation, displacement, and dispossession of Palestinians. However, the decision has laid bare deep internal divisions within the party between its newly enlarged membership base under leader Zack Polanski and its elected members of parliament.
The motion drew sharp criticism from prominent Jewish organisations, including the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council. In a joint letter sent prior to the ballot, these groups argued that modern Zionism formed as an anti-racist movement to provide refuge from persecution, while expressing deep concern for the safety of Jewish members inside the Green Party.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
"If your Zionism is the displacement of the Palestinian people then that is clearly racist, and I say that as a Jewish leader of a British political party."
Zack Polanski
Green Party leader Zack Polanski did not participate in the vote as he left the conference early to campaign in Holborn and St Pancras. Prior to the ballot, Polanski stated that he had attempted to introduce amendments to protect Jewish members attending Zionist synagogues, but party members ultimately voted down his proposals.
The passage of this motion within a major UK political party highlights the complex interplay between foreign policy stances and domestic minority inclusion. The open opposition from senior figures such as former leader Caroline Lucas underscores the severe challenge political organisations face when balancing ideological resolutions with the welfare and safety of internal demographic groups.
Following the result, Vivien Lichtenstein, chair of Jewish Greens, told the BBC she would consider her future within the party. Meanwhile, a party spokesperson insisted that green officials would protect Jewish members from persecution, noting they would not face disciplinary action for attending synagogues that define themselves as Zionist.
Source: BBC Politics
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