Green Party Leader Promises Inclusion After Anti-Zionist Motion Sparks Outrage
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski pledged not to exclude members based on religion after the party passed a controversial motion labeling Zionism as racism, drawing widespread condemnation and legal scrutiny.
The Green Party of England and Wales, at its Brighton conference, adopted a divisive motion that brands Zionism—an ideology supporting the Jewish people’s right to a national homeland—as racism, and calls for the dissolution of Israel in favor of a single Palestinian state. The motion passed narrowly, 1,022 to 813, triggering a wave of criticism from Labour MPs and Jewish organizations alarmed by the party’s embrace of radical anti-Israel rhetoric.
Leader Zack Polanski, who abstained from voting, issued a statement insisting that the party would not discriminate against anyone based on their background, faith, or place of worship. He maintained that the party is committed to its code of conduct and the Equality Act, and attempted to draw a line between antisemitism and criticism of Israel, despite the motion’s inflammatory language.
In response to the motion, over a dozen Labour MPs reported the Green Party to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and nine MPs referred potential antisemitic offences to Sussex Police. The European Green Party, seeking to avoid association with such extreme positions, distanced itself from the motion and requested clarification on how the party would protect Jewish members.
A Green Party spokesperson reiterated the party’s responsibility to provide a safe environment for all members. Green MP Ellie Chowns expressed regret that the motion became policy, but argued it was motivated by opposition to Israeli government actions, not antisemitism, and called for a review of the party’s policymaking process to prevent future controversies.