Green Party conference votes on motion to label Zionism as racism

Pro-Israel advocates hound Green Party members over 'Zionism is Racism' motion Lubna Speitan has found herself at the centre of a major controversy engulfing the UK's Green Party. The British-Palestinian is the author of a motion that Green Party members are expected to vote on Sunday, which calls for Zionism to be declared a form of racism. The motion has become the focus of national media attention - and a highly contentious topic at the conference itself. A fierce protest erupted on the narrow street outside the Green Party conference venue in Brighton on Saturday, with dozens of pro-Israel demonstrators shouting at Green Party members as they entered the conference. Read more: Pro-Israel advocates hound Green Party members over 'Zionism is Racism' motion Supporters of Israel hurl abuse at Green Party members outside the Green Party conference in Brighton on 3 October 2026 (Imran Mulla/MEE)

Pro-Israel protesters hound Green Party members outside conference over 'Zionism is Racism' motion Submitted by Imran Mulla on Sat, 10/03/2026 - 17:04 MEE speaks to author of motion to declare Zionism a form of racism as protesters shout at Green members outside conference in Brighton Pro-Israel protesters shout at Green Party members outside the Green conference in Brighton on Saturday. (Imran Mulla/MEE) Off Lubna Speitan has found herself at the centre of a major controversy engulfing the Green Party. The British Palestinian is the author of a motion that Green Party members are expected to vote on Sunday, which calls for Zionism to be declared a form of racism. The motion has become the focus of national media attention - and a highly contentious topic at the conference itself. A fierce protest erupted on the narrow street outside the Green Party conference venue in Brighton on Saturday afternoon with dozens of pro-Israel demonstrators shouting at Green members as they entered the conference. The Protesters could be heard chanting: "Terrorist supporters off our streets" as others sang "there's no Palestine, there is no Palestine." They held up signs saying: "Stand up to racist Greens," "Anti Zionism = terrorism" and "More trees less Hamas." Numerous protesters waved Israeli flags. A few waved a Union Jack flag and one man, who said he was an Indian Jew, waved a combined Israeli and Indian flag. "There'll always be opposition," Speitan told Middle East Eye. "We have to stand strong and firm and steadfast in the face of injustice. We should confront all forms of racism, discrimination, genocide and the Holocaust. "We've made explicitly clear in the motion that not all Jews are Zionist and not all Zionists are Jewish." Protesters and counter-protesters One Iranian woman protesting outside the conference told MEE: "I've seen what’s happened in Iran with the radical Islamists, and I'm terrified it will happen to the UK.” She characterised the Greens as an alliance of Islamists and leftists. Another protester, a middle-aged white man, claimed the Green Party was antisemitic. He described Polanski as a “self-hating Jew”, a derogatory term often used to disparage Jewish critics of the Israeli government. “I’m not a Jew, I’m a Christian,” he added. “I’m a Christian. We did the Holocaust.” Now, he said, Jewish people were being persecuted “by Islam”. A woman who said she was French danced enthusiastically and described the Green Party as supporters of Hamas. “Have you seen what happened in France with the Islamists and the left?” she said. “I don’t want that to happen here.” ​ Pro-Israel protesters stand outside the Green Party conference in Brighton on Saturday. (Imran Mulla/MEE) Counter-protesters, most of them Green members, faced off against the demonstration. The two sides were separated by police officers although both were peaceful and neither seriously confronted the other. Party members are gearing up to vote on an unprecedented motion to declare Zionism a form of racism. The vote is expected to take place on Sunday. If the motion passes, it will become official policy and the Greens will become the first major party in the country to recognise Zionism as racism. The motion has been endorsed by prominent Holocaust survivor and activist Stephen Kapos, who said: “I am in full agreement with the motion being proposed and, as a child survivor of World War Two Holocaust and a Jew, [I] believe that Zionism both as an ideology and practice is harmful and has no legitimacy and must be rejected.” 'Often oppressors see themselves as victims' It has been widely reported that Jewish members of the Green Party who belong to synagogues that identify as Zionist could face internal disciplinary procedures. Lubna Speitan, the lead author of the motion, told MEE that these claims are entirely wrong because the motion is an “E-Motion”, meaning it concerns external matters and has no bearing on internal processes.  The pro-Palestine counter-protest against the demonstration outside the conference waved Palestinian flags and chanted anti-genocide slogans. A group in the counter-protest held a banner reading “JEWS AGAINST ZIONISM”. A young counter-protester named Ori, who said he was Jewish, told MEE: “We’re here to support the ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion. I think it will be a good thing for there to be a mainstream political party in parliament that says that says Zionism is racism, and that can hopefully lead to sanctions against Israel.” Ori labelled the protesters against the Greens “pathetic”. He disagreed with the idea that the motion being passed could make some Jewish members of the party feel unwelcome. “Often oppressors see themselves as victims of the people they are oppressing. Zionists think they are victims of the Palestinian liberation struggle. It’s completely untrue.” Protesters and counter-protesters stand outside the Green Party conference on Saturday. (Imran Mulla/MEE) But the motion, which calls for a single democratic Palestinian state with equal rights for ethnic and religious groups, is drawing heavy criticism from within the party itself. Green leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish himself, said last month the motion needed to be amended to say “very clearly and explicitly that this motion safeguards Jewish people. "And what it means by that is if someone stands against the occupation, stands against apartheid, stands against the genocide, but happens to be a member of a synagogue that calls itself a Zionist synagogue, they should not be treated any differently within the Green Party.” Asked about this, however, Speitan said she believed the amendment would “undermine” the motion: “We shouldn't need as Palestinians to have a disclaimer before we speak for the liberation of our people every time that we're not antisemites, or to legitimise our cause by saying it's not an attack against Jews, which indeed it’s not. “My grandfather lived next to his Jewish neighbor in Palestine, playing cards every morning and never had a problem.” 'It's a racist ideology' Caroline Lucas, a former leader of the party, on Friday denounced the motion as divisive, saying: “I do have serious concerns about this motion. "There is no single definition of Zionism, and irrespective of the intentions of the people who put that motion forward, I think there is a real risk that it’ll be divisive and could be seen as a sign that Jewish people aren’t welcome in the party.” Kieran Andrieu, a British Palestinian political economist and Green Party member, told MEE he believed the motion was important because Zionism was responsible for the dehumanisation of Palestinians. “If you acknowledge that what has been done to the Palestinians over the past 100 years or more is a long process of colonisation, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and genocide, and you have to ask yourself, how can that happen? Exclusive: Zack Polanski says UK should defy Israel on fate of British Consulate in East Jerusalem Read More » “It was underpinned by an ideology, Zionism. It’s a racist ideology that dehumanises Palestinians.” Hamza Egal, the chair of a group within the party, Global Majority Greens, told MEE the group was backing the motion. “It's only the Green Party that's ever come up and said, let's give the Palestinians their voice, let them speak for themselves. And the motion that they created is what we've gone with as global majority Greens. “We've supported the motion because it's come from our Palestinian members.” Green members are set to vote on the motion on Sunday, the final day of the party conference. UK Politics in Brighton, United Kingdom News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Pro-Israel advocates hound Green Party members over 'Zionism is Racism' motion Submitted by Imran Mulla on Sat, 10/03/2026 - 17:04 Dozens of Israel supporters could be seen and heard hurling abuse at Green Party members outside the party's conference in Brighton Supporters of Israel hurl abuse at Green Party members outside the Green Party conference in Brighton on 3 October 2026 (Imran Mulla/MEE) Off Lubna Speitan has found herself at the centre of a major controversy engulfing the UK's Green Party. The British-Palestinian is the author of a motion that Green Party members are expected to vote on Sunday, which calls for Zionism to be declared a form of racism. The motion has become the focus of national media attention - and a highly contentious topic at the conference itself. A fierce protest erupted on the narrow street outside the Green Party conference venue in Brighton on Saturday, with dozens of pro-Israel demonstrators shouting at Green Party members as they entered the conference. The protesters could be heard chanting: "Terrorist supporters off our streets" as others sang "there's no Palestine, there is no Palestine." Some held up signs saying: "Stand up to racist Greens," "Anti Zionism = terrorism" and "More trees less Hamas." Meanwhile, numerous others waved Israeli flags. A few waved a Union Jack and one man, who said he was an Indian Jew, waved a combined Israeli and Indian flag. "There'll always be opposition," Speitan told Middle East Eye in response to the protest. "[But] we have to stand strong and firm and steadfast in the face of injustice. We should confront all forms of racism, discrimination, genocide and the Holocaust. "We've made explicitly clear in the motion that not all Jews are Zionist and not all Zionists are Jewish." Pro-Israel crowd attack Polanski and Islam An Iranian woman protesting outside the conference characterised the Greens as an alliance of leftists and Islamists. "I've seen what's happened in Iran with the radical Islamists, and I'm terrified it will happen to the UK," she told MEE. Another protester, a middle-aged white man, claimed the Green Party was antisemitic. He described Green Party leader Zack Polanski as a "self-hating Jew," a derogatory term often used to disparage Jewish critics of the Israeli government. "I'm not a Jew, I'm a Christian," he added. "I'm a Christian. We did the Holocaust." Now, he said, Jewish people were being persecuted "by Islam." A woman who said she was French danced enthusiastically and described the Green Party as supporters of Hamas. "Have you seen what happened in France with the Islamists and the left?" she said. "I don't want that to happen here." ​ Pro-Israel protesters stand outside the Green Party conference in Brighton on 3 October 2026  (Imran Mulla/MEE) A group of counter-protesters, most of them Green Party members, held their own demonstration nearby. The two sides were separated by police officers, and both were peaceful with neither side seriously confronting the other. Some of the counter-protests waved Palestinian flags and chanted anti-genocide slogans, while a group could be seen holding a banner reading "Jews against Zionism." A young counter-protester named Ori, who said he was Jewish, told MEE: "We're here to support the ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion. I think it will be a good thing for there to be a mainstream political party in parliament that says that says Zionism is racism, and that can hopefully lead to sanctions against Israel." Ori labelled the protesters as "pathetic", adding that he disagreed with the idea that if the motion passed it could make some Jewish members of the party feel unwelcome. "Often oppressors see themselves as victims of the people they are oppressing. Zionists think they are victims of the Palestinian liberation struggle. It's completely untrue." 'Often oppressors see themselves as victims' Party members are gearing up to vote on an unprecedented motion to declare Zionism a form of racism on Sunday. If the motion passes, it will become official policy and the Greens will become the first major party in the country to recognise Zionism as racism. The motion has been endorsed by prominent Holocaust survivor and activist Stephen Kapos, who said he believed that "Zionism both as an ideology and practice is harmful and has no legitimacy and must be rejected." However, Caroline Lucas, a former leader of the party, denounced the motion as divisive on Friday, saying: she had "serious concerns" over what it could mean for inclusivity within the party. "There is no single definition of Zionism, and irrespective of the intentions of the people who put that motion forward, I think there is a real risk that it’ll be divisive and could be seen as a sign that Jewish people aren’t welcome in the party," she said. Prior to the start of the conference, it was widely reported that Jewish members of the Green Party who belong to synagogues that identified as Zionist could face internal disciplinary procedures. However, Speitan, the lead author of the motion, rubbished those claims saying the motion is an "E-Motion," meaning it concerns external matters and has no bearing on internal processes.  Pro-Palestine advocates waved banners against the genocide in Gaza stand outside the Green Party conference in Brighton on 3 October 2026 (Imran Mulla/MEE) But the motion, which calls for a single democratic Palestinian state with equal rights for ethnic and religious groups, is already drawing heavy criticism from within the party itself. Polanski, who is Jewish himself, said last month the motion needed to be amended to say "very clearly and explicitly that this motion safeguards Jewish people. "And what it means by that is if someone stands against the occupation, stands against apartheid, stands against the genocide, but happens to be a member of a synagogue that calls itself a Zionist synagogue, they should not be treated any differently within the Green Party." Asked about this, however, Speitan said she believed the amendment would "undermine" the motion. "We shouldn't need as Palestinians to have a disclaimer before we speak for the liberation of our people every time that we're not antisemites, or to legitimise our cause by saying it's not an attack against Jews, which indeed it’s not. "My grandfather lived next to his Jewish neighbor in Palestine, playing cards every morning and never had a problem." 'It's a racist ideology' Kieran Andrieu, a British Palestinian political economist and Green Party member, told MEE he believed the motion was important because Zionism was responsible for the dehumanisation of Palestinians. Exclusive: Zack Polanski says UK should defy Israel on fate of British Consulate in East Jerusalem Read More » "If you acknowledge that what has been done to the Palestinians over the past 100 years or more is a long process of colonisation, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and genocide, and you have to ask yourself, how can that happen? "It was underpinned by an ideology, Zionism. It's a racist ideology that dehumanises Palestinians." Hamza Egal, the chair of a group within the party, Global Majority Greens, agreed and told MEE he was also backing the motion. "It's only the Green Party that's ever come up and said: 'let's give the Palestinians their voice, let them speak for themselves'. And the motion that they created is what we've gone with as global majority Greens. "We've supported the motion because it's come from our Palestinian members." UK Politics Brighton, United Kingdom News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Green Party members to vote on declaring Zionism a form of racism at conference The Green Party’s annual conference has begun in the seaside town of Brighton, just two days after the ruling Labour Party’s conference ended. Party members are gearing up to vote on an unprecedented motion to declare Zionism a form of racism. The vote is expected to take place on Sunday, according to party insiders. If the motion passes, it will become official policy and the Greens will become the first major party in the country to recognise Zionism as racism. Read more: Green Party members to vote on declaring Zionism a form of racism at conference Leader of the Green Party, Zack Polanski, takes part in a march against far-right extremism, organised by the Together Alliance, in London on 28 March 2026 (Reuters/Hannah McKay) ​​​​

Green Party members to vote on declaring Zionism a form of racism at conference Submitted by Imran Mulla on Fri, 10/02/2026 - 16:05 If the motion passes, the Greens will become the first major party in Britain to recognise Zionism as a form of racism Leader of the Green Party, Zack Polanski, takes part in a march against far-right extremism, organised by the Together Alliance, in London on 28 March 2026 (Reuters/Hannah McKay) Off The Green Party’s annual conference has begun in the seaside town of Brighton, just two days after the ruling Labour Party’s conference ended. Party members are gearing up to vote on an unprecedented motion to declare Zionism a form of racism. The vote is expected to take place on Sunday, according to party insiders. If the motion passes, it will become official policy and the Greens will become the first major party in the country to recognise Zionism as racism. A party organiser involved in promoting the motion told Middle East Eye she believed it was highly likely to pass, saying it has significant support among the membership. The motion has been endorsed by prominent Holocaust survivor and activist Stephen Kapos, who said: “I am in full agreement with the motion being proposed and, as a child survivor of World War Two Holocaust and a Jew, [I] believe that Zionism both as an ideology and practice is harmful and has no legitimacy and must be rejected.” British-Palestinian Lubna Speitan, the lead author of the motion, said: “We must directly confront the ideology that normalises our suffering, the racism of Zionism and its narrative, which inverts victim and oppressor.  “Palestinians and their allies – Muslim, Christian, Jewish and those without faith alike – drafted the motion 'Zionism is Racism', to be debated and voted on at the Green Party Conference and to be shared with other organisations, trade unions and political parties.” But the motion, which calls for a single democratic Palestinian state with equal rights for ethnic and religious groups, is drawing heavy criticism from within the party itself. "Keir Starmer is only going to get more unpopular by the next election." In this interview, Zack Polanski, Green Party leader hopeful, tells MEE how he aims to revolutionise British politics with a left-wing populism that can challenge Nigel Farage's Reform pic.twitter.com/WUoQrZiRg6 — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) May 27, 2025 Two former Green leaders denounced the motion on Friday, with Caroline Lucas - who was for years the party’s only MP - labelling it divisive, saying: “I do have serious concerns about this motion. "There is no single definition of Zionism, and irrespective of the intentions of the people who put that motion forward, I think there is a real risk that it’ll be divisive and could be seen as a sign that Jewish people aren’t welcome in the party.” Meanwhile former Green co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: “It would just be wrong to adopt a policy that could be seen as not supporting the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians to statehood.” He added: “I stand by the position the Green Party had in the 2024 manifesto, on which I was elected, which made clear we want to see equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.” Amendments to the motion Green leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish himself, said last month the motion needs to be amended to say “very clearly and explicitly that this motion safeguards Jewish people. "And what it means by that is if someone stands against the occupation, stands against apartheid, stands against the genocide, but happens to be a member of a synagogue that calls itself a Zionist synagogue, they should not be treated any differently within the Green Party.” Exclusive: Zack Polanski says UK should defy Israel on fate of British Consulate in East Jerusalem Read More » Polanski added: “Second, there’s a line in it that talks about a single Palestinian state. I think there’s something quite imperial about this for the British Government, or indeed the Green Party of England and Wales, to decide what the future settlement of Palestine and Israel looks like.  “I think my job as leader of the Green Party, the Green Party’s job, is to maintain justice and equality both for Palestinians and Israelis.” MEE understands that members are expected to vote on amendments to the motion on Sunday. The motion itself reads: “Zionism is a political ideology which called for the creation – and, now it exists, the continuity – of an ethnonationalist Jewish State in historic Palestine to the exclusion and/ or domination of the non-Jewish population.  “The real, material manifestation of Zionism has been the historic and ongoing dehumanisation, displacement, dispossession, disenfranchisement and destruction of Palestinians.” It adds: “This motion is aimed at the political ideology and practice of Zionism, as defined, and not at the religious or ethnic background of those who may identify as Zionists. Not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews.” A booklet published by the motion’s authors and distributed at the conference advocates for a “single democratic State in the whole of Palestine, for Muslims, Jews, Christians and people of no faith. "This was the situation in 1947, when the Arab States, the Palestinians and the Latin American States put forward a UN Resolution asking exactly that and opposing the partition of Palestine.” The booklet adds: “Would an ethnonationalist State for a different ethnicity to the exclusion of another anywhere else be acceptable? Would calling for Britain to be for Whites only, or for Christians only, ever be acceptable within any respectable antiracist space?” Explaining his views further last week, Polanski said: “I think the problem with definitions is they mean different things to different people. If you’re defining Zionism as the displacement and genocide of the Palestinians, which is how in practice Zionism has become in truth, then that is racist.” In his speech to the conference on Friday afternoon, Polanski focused on the cost of living and putting pressure on Prime Minister Andy Burnham on housing. He urged the Labour government to “put in place a three-year emergency brake on private rents”. Labour has so far ruled out rent controls. He declared: “Vote Green and watch Labour move,” arguing the Greens have forced Labour to the left on key political issues, including on Israel. Polanski is the party’s parliamentary candidate in a by-election in London’s Holborn and St Pancras in less than a week on 8 October. UK Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Zack Polanski's second Green party conference has been overshadowed by a controversial motionA Green Party motion inviting members to vote on whether “Zionism is racism” is dominating this year’s conference.The party’s “hyper-democratic” process means members are able to vote on official policy in a behind-closed-doors meeting.This particularly divisive idea is currently expected to be debated on Sunday, the third day of the party’s annual gathering in Brighton.Zionism, typically defined as the movement to create a Jewish state, has become a highly controversial topic since the Palestinian militants Hamas’s terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.Israel then launched a full-scale offensive, causing widespread suffering in both Gaza and the West Bank.The Green Party is already prominently pro-Palestine, but some fear this motion would go too far.According to literature being handed out to this year’s attendees, the proposal “defines Zionism, recognises its continued harm to Palestinians, and seeks to clarify that the Green party is opposed to Zionism”.A leaflet explaining why the motion “matters” says it will further affirm “the right to self-determination and liberation of the Palestinian people and support the establishment of a single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine.”It adds: “The real, material manifestation of Zionism has been the historic and ongoing dehumanisation, displacement, dispossession, disenfranchisement and destruction of Palestinians.“This is based upon European settler-colonial systems of domination and oppression, which has also created racial hierarchies between Jews of different ethnicities in Palestine.”Caroline Lucas and Adrian Ramsay, former leaders of the party, have already condemned the idea.Lucas told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday: “I do have serious concerns about this motion.“There is no single definition of Zionism, and irrespective of the intentions of the people who put that motion forward, I think there is a real risk that it’ll be divisive and could be seen as a sign that Jewish people aren’t welcome in the party. I will not be supporting it for that reason.”Ramsay told The Times: “I stand by the position the Green Party had in the 2024 manifesto, on which I was elected which made clear we want to see equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.“The Green Party has a strong position already on challenging the government and I think it would just be wrong to adopt a policy that could be seen as not supporting the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians to statehood.”Deputy co-leader, Rachel Millward, also told broadcasters the motion was “problematic” as it stands.She told Sky News: “The motion in its unamended form is problematic, I think. I certainly wouldn’t be voting for that. There are amendments that are coming through. There’ll be a debate. There are people on all sides with different opinions. We’ll have to see what happens.”She added: “I think what’s fair to say is there’s a lot of different opinions around this motion. Some people think that it focuses more on semantics, on definitions and what we need to be doing is staying where we’re really united.” There are fears the proposal could end up preventing Jewish people from joining the Green Party.Meanwhile, party leader Zack Polanski told a Jewish community hustings last week he was “anti-Zionist”.Polanski, who is Jewish, told the crowd he thought Zionism was racism because it represents “displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people”.However the London Assembly member has pushed for an amendment to the motion which would make sure Green members who go to Jewish synagogues and describe themselves as Zionists do not face disciplinary action.He also backs a motion to ensure the party does not explicitly endorse a “one-state solution”.Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...Richard Burgon Repeatedly Denies Lying Over Zionism Remarks In Emma Barnett InterviewWhat Is Zionism?Richard Burgon Claimed He Never Said 'Zionism Is Enemy Of Peace' - This Video Shows He Did