Green Party passes motion defining Zionism as racism ahead of London by-election

Conference vote and policy adoption

Delegates at the Green Party of England and Wales annual conference in Brighton voted on Sunday to adopt a policy classifying Zionism as racism. The motion defines Zionism as an ideology supporting an ethnonationalist Jewish state and establishes that the party will treat it as any other form of racism. The approved resolution calls for the establishment of a single democratic Palestinian state across all of historic Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital, equal rights for all citizens, and the right of return for Palestinians and their descendants. The motion passed by 1,022 votes in favour to 813 against after proposed amendments were rejected by the conference floor.

Proposer links and court records

The resolution was proposed by Lubna Speitan, a British-Palestinian artist and Green Party member with no formal leadership post. Records from a 2015 US court filing revealed that Speitan was identified as a close friend of Minh Quang Pham, a Vietnamese-born British national who was extradited to the United States and sentenced in 2016 to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to three terrorism charges related to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Speitan offered to give evidence for Pham in 2015 and described him in a 2016 letter to a New York judge as one of the kindest and most sincere people she had known. Speitan confirmed to the press that she remains friends with Pham and maintains that he was targeted by the system. The Green Party stated that it takes all allegations seriously and maintains internal processes to investigate views outside party values.

Dissent across parliament and leadership

The policy adoption created immediate divisions within the party ranks. Green leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, sought changes to the text before the conference and left before the ballot took place, abstaining from the vote. Four of the party's five members of parliament publicly opposed the resolution. Anthony Slaughter, the leader of the Wales Green Party, stated that calling for a one-state solution was not appropriate for the party. In Scotland, Scottish Green co-leader Ross Greer expressed support for the stance, stating that Zionism is racist. Meanwhile, the UK government's independent adviser on antisemitism criticised the direction of the party.

The Greens are increasingly becoming a sect, which totally contradicts the concept of environmental and ecological politics.

External backlash and diplomatic response

The vote led Israel to bar Zack Polanski from entering the country, accusing the party of delegitimising Israel and promoting antisemitic discourse. Jewish community organisations condemned the policy, and Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis described the decision as a threat to British Jews. Members of Parliament from Labour and the Liberal Democrats referred the Green Party to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, while barrister Adam Wagner KC indicated the policy carries a risk of breaching the Equality Act 2010. In Wales, First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth called the Greens' policy change ill-judged during First Minister's Questions. Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the United States special adviser on antisemitism, stated that Washington would make diplomatic representations to the UK government regarding the policy.

Electoral stakes in London

The controversy surfaced two days before the Holborn and St Pancras parliamentary by-election, where Polanski is campaigning to win the seat formerly held by Keir Starmer. Labour has held the central London constituency continuously since 1983, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham leading the national Labour government. The Green Party had experienced a surge over the previous 12 months, nearly quadrupling its membership, taking control of five local councils, and winning one parliamentary by-election. Polanski now faces voters on Thursday in a contest complicated by the conference vote and the resulting domestic and diplomatic disputes.