Green Party passes 'Zionism is Racism' motion at Brighton conference

The Green Party of England and Wales voted 1,022 to 813 on Sunday to adopt the controversial “Zionism is Racism” motion at its party conference in Brighton, the Jerusalem Post reported — which the newspaper described as making the Greens “the first mainstream party in Europe to declare itself openly anti-Zionist.”

An amendment that would have protected Jewish members from expulsion if they belong to synagogues that define themselves as Zionist failed, with 684 votes in favour and 1,026 against, according to the report.

The motion recognises Zionism as Israel’s foundational ideology, which it says has created and maintains an apartheid regime between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. It affirms the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and liberation and supports “a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital.” The motion had been due for the party’s spring conference in March, but a series of no-confidence votes caused delays that meant it was never heard or debated.

On Saturday, party leader Zack Polanski told the conference: “We stand with one voice now as we say: ‘Drop the charges. End the genocide. Deproscribe Palestine Action.’” Polanski, who is Jewish, did not vote on the motion: according to the Telegraph, cited by the Post, he was on the campaign trail in north London ahead of Thursday’s Holborn and St Pancras by-election.

The decision drew opposition from inside the party. Former co-leader Carla Denyer urged members ahead of the debate to reject the motion in its current form, warning it could alienate Jewish supporters and distract elected Greens from practical measures to help Palestinians, Haaretz reported. A survey of Jewish Greens found the group almost exactly split — 5.1 out of 10 on whether to collectively oppose the motion — so it took no official position; 81 per cent of respondents identified as anti-Zionist or non-Zionist.

Jewish members told the Mail on Sunday that a designated “safe room” had been set aside during the conference for Jewish members who feel in danger, the Post reported. Rabbis Charley Baginsky and Josh Levy, co-leads of the Movement for Progressive Judaism, told the Post the motion is “antisemitic in its formulation and intention,” adding: “By adopting it, the Green Party has made antisemitism party policy and become a racist party.”