Greens adopt policy treating Zionism as racism

[Twiglets1]

The Greens have formally adopted a policy which equates Zionism with racism, a move that will dismay the bulk of the party’s MPs and has alarmed some Jewish members.

In a vote on Sunday at the party’s annual conference in Brighton about whether to back a motion which calls for Zionism, the movement for a Jewish state, to be “treated as any other form of racism”, it passed by 1,022 votes to 813.

The motion, which is now formal policy for the Greens in England and Wales, also calls for a single Palestinian state in place of Israel “with equal rights for all”.

Four of the party’s five MPs have condemned the motion, as did Caroline Lucas, the former leader who was the Greens’ first MP.

Adrian Ramsay, who co-led the Greens before Polanski, said in a statement he would vote against it, as it set out what sort of Palestinian state should exist without taking into account the self-determination of Israelis and Palestinians.

Siân Berry, another of the MPs, made the same point.

Carla Denyer, the Bristol Central MP who was co-leader with Ramsay, said the wording “risks alienating a significant proportion of Jewish people, including those who vehemently disagree with the Israeli government”.

Another Green MP, Ellie Chowns, said the motion “risks fuelling division, and risks undermining the party’s ability to advocate effectively for justice and peace”.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/oct/04/green-party-votes-adopt-policy-zionism-racism

I read an article this week about the march. The police have appealed to the organisers not to go ahead but it's fallen on deaf ears. It just so provocative and hateful.

I am not a Jew but I am a Zionist.

I hope that most non-Jewish Brits will increasingly be prepared to stand up and say this plainly.

Islamofascists shout loudly. We ordinary people need to find our voices.

It is surprising that they failed to learn the lessons of Corbyn's Labour Party

They not only didn't learn the lessons but welcomed in the disgruntled former Corbynite members who turned against Your Party for not being antisemitic enough.

I am on the Left and Asian Christian. I never subscribed to the Rights claims of an Islamist takeover but this and Labours ' blasphemy through the back door' policy that only applies to Islam makes me worried for religious freedom ( and freedom to practice no religion) in this country. All political parties on the Left are blind to Islamic fascism in a way that Muslim countries with experience of them are not. Most Muslim majority countries who are not themselves fundamentalist crack down on these people because they know how destabilising they are. It will usher in a more Right wing government here as a result.

I agree. Probably like you, I've been a bit of a lone voice at work, but sometimes you've just got to keep at it.

She and others should have dealt with this earlier. This motion was on the cards for ages, there was no excuse. They should have come out and said clearly thar it was a racist motion and honour their commitment to no racism in the party. They are all bleating about worrying about appearing to send the wrong message and other platitudes. She and the MPs are spineless cowards. Mothin Ali is a racist. I still cant find out how Hannah Spencer voted. Usually so keen to be headline news she's gone rather quiet. They all disgust me.

Those marches were organised by organisations that are banned in the Middle East due to their explicit links to Hamas, and in one case an ex-Hamas chief who lives in London with his family in a council house.

When the far right marches were scheduled, the council posted warnings on mosques and the counter-protest was bigger than the actual event. But every Saturday we had terrorist supporters waving swastikas and shouting for 'Jewish blood' and the Jewish people who complained were either told by police it was their problem, or threatened with arrest for disturbing the peace.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DdmYi3eNi5h/?stkn=MWFvOGExanNmc3l5aw==

If you fancy it, look through the rest of their page. They call for the full destruction of Israel. Our workplace union endorsed them so they are on the picket lines together. It’s a nightmare.

France has the same problem. I keep seeing images of kids burning down schools carrying Palestinian flags.

Why can’t we have a party that champions environmental causes but remains centre/or even actually neutral on social and economic issues and happy to work with any party to ensure environmental protections? It’s such a loss for our planet that green issues get lost in social policies like this.

He didn't want to lose support from Greens for Palestine' as they have puppeteered him in there in the first place, knowing he has no principles. They have been very clever, and Polanski has sold his family down the river for a chance of fame. Never mind. He'll be out soon too, replaced by Mothin Ali. Funny how they always had co leaders until Polanski but now they can move forward with just one.

He has kept support from “Greens for Palestine” but at the expense of losing support from more moderate Green Party voters who don’t endorse this vote or a one Palestinian state solution. Foolish error. Even from the Tit Whisperer this is dumb.

I knew the Green Party was going to pieces, but I was still very shocked when this motion was debated, let alone passed.
Polanski has certainly got what he wanted - a populist party, aka a chanting mob.

In a way it is good to have things absolutely clarified: the Green Party no longer exists. It has been replaced by something else that bears the same name.

It is also good to have it clarified that populism - where cynical, mildly 'charismatic' politicians ride into power on wave of confused, self-righterous hate - isn't really a right-wing thing or a left-wing thing. Whatever part of the political spectrum it comes from, it is just pus in the wound of our broken society.

Iran is pouring money into destabilising other countries. They are clearly paying petty criminals to conduct attacks against British Jews, they are most probably behind the Fairford incident, and they are funding these marches. Yet we have silly pensioners fantasising about the '60's happily marching alongside violent extremists with placards calling for Jews to he exterminated, putting themselves front and centre to be arrested.

What the hell? I'm so sorry that you have to experience that. I'm tempted to go there with my own banner "Rape is not Resistance".
What on earth has happened to the Trade Union movement, apart from anything else? Why are the university so weak?
That's absolutely shocking in your own workplace.

To be fair, I think the Greens forgot about the environment quite a while ago.

Then people say "oooh, they're arresting pensioners" as if it's just Janet going to the garden centre wearing an anti racist badge, then she gets put in a choke hold and shoved in the slammer.

When I was watching the stand off in the Garvachy Road, I noticed the Palestinian flags and the Gaza slogans. It seems that the Irish Republican cause - in some instances - is combining the two issues. I suppose it explains the Irish football team's response to their Israeli opponents.

Ireland is running hard to achieve the title of the most antisemitic country in Western Europe.

Agreed. Not a popular opinion (amongst Irish Mumsnetters) but they do seem particularly obsessed with Israel in a negative way.

It's shocking. I just hate that it's some sort of omni cause. Fair enough, oppose the Orange march. Why have the flags and the placards about Gaza? It's not related.

It’s the logical conclusion of identity politics.

Just where are all the Jewish people who currently live in Israel supposed to go? Are the Greens going to hold up “Refugees Welcome” banners for them?

I don’t think ZP et al give a wotsit about Jewish people as they represent such a tiny amount of votes compared with the Muslim vote which is highly organised. “Turnout” in that community is huge due to postal voting and community/Mosque coordination. This is having the effect of bringing sectarian politics to Britain. And also using the Greens as a Trojan Horse.

Yes, and so blunt. It means you can't be an Irish republican and support Israel. It means that you can't oppose an Orange march and not include Gaza.

Sounds absolutely horrible.

I’m struggling to understand where Polanski stands now. On Friday he said he didn’t believe the Green Party should decide what the future settlement looks like. He also wanted safeguards for Jewish members belonging to Zionist synagogues. Both amendments were rejected.

If those were important principles for him, what does their rejection mean? Does he support the motion as passed, or will he work to change it? I think it’s reasonable to expect a clear answer from the party’s leader.

General assurances about opposing discrimination don’t address that concern. I want to know what he will actually do, without ambiguity, to ensure Jewish members can remain fully part of the party without being expected to distance themselves from their own community.