Green Party Votes to Adopt Policy Equating Zionism with Racism
The Green Party has formally adopted a motion equating Zionism with racism, passing it by 1,022 votes to 813 at its annual conference in Brighton. The decision has alarmed some Jewish members and will dismay the bulk of the party's MPs.
The Green Party has formally adopted a policy that equates Zionism with racism, after members voted in favour of a controversial motion at the party's annual conference in Brighton. The motion, which calls for Zionism — the movement for a Jewish state — to be «treated as any other form of racism», passed by 1,022 votes to 813.
The vote represents a significant shift in the party's official position and sets out that the Greens are an anti-Zionist party. It followed a heated debate among delegates, with 56 per cent voting in favour and 44 per cent against. The result will dismay the bulk of the party's MPs, many of whom have distanced themselves from the motion, and has alarmed some Jewish members who fear it will fuel antisemitism.
The Green Party leader, Zack Polanski, skipped the vote, a decision that has drawn criticism from both supporters and opponents of the motion. His absence was noted by party members and observers alike, with some suggesting it reflects the sensitivity of the issue for the leadership. The motion's passage places the Greens at odds with the official positions of other major UK parties, all of which reject the equation of Zionism with racism.
Jewish groups and political opponents were quick to condemn the decision. One critic labelled the Greens the «first openly anti-Semitic party in the UK», a charge that party officials have rejected. Supporters of the motion argue that it is a legitimate criticism of Israeli government policy and not an attack on Jewish people, insisting that anti-Zionism is not the same as antisemitism. The debate over that distinction has become increasingly fraught in UK politics in recent years.
The vote took place on Sunday at the party's conference in Brighton, where members gathered to debate a range of policy issues. The motion on Zionism and the future of Palestine was one of the most contentious items on the agenda. Its adoption means the policy now forms part of the Green Party's official platform, although it is unclear how it will be implemented in practice or whether it will affect the party's electoral strategy.
The Green Party has seen a surge in membership and support in recent years, particularly among younger voters and those disillusioned with the Labour Party. However, the adoption of this policy risks alienating moderate voters and Jewish communities who may view it as extreme. The party's MPs, who have largely avoided commenting on the motion, now face questions about whether they will endorse the new policy or distance themselves from it.
This is not the first time the Green Party has courted controversy over its stance on the Middle East. The party has previously faced internal divisions over Israel and Palestine, with some members pushing for a more explicitly anti-Zionist position. The passage of this motion marks a victory for that faction and a defeat for those who argued that the party should remain neutral or focus on domestic issues.
The decision is likely to reignite a broader debate about the boundaries of legitimate criticism of Israel and the definition of antisemitism. It also raises questions about the direction of the Green Party under its current leadership and whether it can maintain unity after such a divisive vote. For now, the party has made its position clear: Zionism, in its view, is a form of racism.
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