Green Party Courageously Labels Zionism as Racism, Challenging Oppression and Exposing Establishment Backlash
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In a bold move, the Green Party of England and Wales has recognized Zionism as a form of racism, confronting systemic oppression and sparking both international and internal resistance from pro-Israel forces and party elites.
The Green Party of England and Wales took a principled stand at its Sunday conference by adopting a motion that rightfully identifies Zionism—the ideology underpinning the establishment and maintenance of a Jewish ethnostate—as a form of racism. This move directly challenges decades of colonial dispossession and apartheid policies inflicted upon the Palestinian people. In response, Israel’s foreign ministry, notorious for silencing critics of its regime, swiftly banned Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering the country—a clear attempt to intimidate and suppress international solidarity with Palestine.
Although the motion was democratically advanced and approved by grassroots party members, Polanski, who is not an MP, attempted to water down the language through amendments that were ultimately rejected. He abstained from the debate and vote, highlighting the ongoing tension between the party’s activist base and its more cautious leadership. Four out of five Green MPs, including former co-leader Adrian Ramsay, shamefully opposed the resolution, exposing the disconnect between elected officials and the party’s anti-racist, anti-imperialist core.
Party officials acknowledged that this decision marks a significant shift in the Greens’ direction under Polanski’s leadership, as the activist base pushes for a broader left-populist agenda that challenges imperialism and systemic injustice, moving beyond a narrow environmental focus. The party’s commitment to internal democracy allows MPs and councillors to vote independently, but this also reveals the lingering influence of establishment politics within the parliamentary group.
Predictably, Labour leaders rushed to condemn the motion, with the party chair denouncing it as “shameful” and the communities secretary claiming it “crosses a line.” Such reactions underscore Labour’s ongoing complicity with oppressive systems and its resistance to meaningful change. The controversy may further fuel debates within Labour about electoral reform, as a more proportional system could finally give voice to parties like the Greens that challenge the status quo and stand in solidarity with the oppressed.