Green Party MP Warns of Leftist Extremist Takeover After Anti-Zionist Motion
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Green Party Westminster leader Ellie Chowns cautioned that the party must guard against left-wing extremists after a fringe group forced through a divisive motion labeling Zionism as racism.
Westminster leader Ellie Chowns told the BBC that the Green Party must ensure it is not vulnerable to capture by extremists or racists, following the adoption of a radical motion that described Zionism as a form of racism. The motion, pushed by hardline activists and narrowly approved at the party’s conference, was passed by 1,022 votes to 813—barely 0.4% of the party’s 230,000 members—showing how a vocal minority can hijack party policy.
"I don't know if there are extremists and racists in my party. But I want to make sure that my party isn't vulnerable to capture by extremists and racists," Chowns said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, expressing concern over the growing influence of far-left agitators.
Chowns described Zionism as a contested concept and said the policy does not reflect the views of the majority of Green members or the wider public. She argued that the motion distracts from the party’s legitimate work on Palestinian rights and exposes flaws in the party’s policy-making process, which is increasingly susceptible to radicalization.
Former party leader Caroline Lucas warned that the Greens were not protected from entryism, where leftist ideologues join to steer party policy to the extreme. Lucas called for the party to be a welcoming place for Jewish people, and praised current leader Zack Polanski’s efforts, but noted the party’s outdated constitution has left it open to manipulation by fringe elements.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council rightly criticized the motion, emphasizing that Zionism is an anti-racist movement providing a refuge for Jews, and condemned the demonization of Jewish self-determination by radical activists.
Polanski, who is Jewish, said he would not have supported the original wording but agreed with the part of the motion linking displacement of Palestinians to racist ideology. Ashok Kumar, a member of the Greens for Palestine group, defended the vote as a stance on Palestinian liberation, further highlighting the party’s drift toward one-sided activism.
After Polanski’s recent by-election loss, Vivien Lichtenstein, leader of the Jewish Greens, called for his resignation, criticizing his avoidance of a debate on the motion as a mistake. The episode underscores the dangers of unchecked left-wing extremism within the party.