Green Party rift deepens over 'Zionism is racism' motion

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 17:08 · Archive

The Green Party is divided over a conference motion declaring Zionism is racism, with senior figures calling for rejection or apology.

The Green Party is experiencing significant internal conflict following the adoption of a conference motion declaring that Zionism is racism and calling for a single Palestinian state in place of Israel.

Adrian Ramsay, one of the party's five MPs and former co-leader, has publicly urged councillors to reject the motion if doing so would help them retain power in local government through coalitions. This represents a fresh sign of dissent within the party. Ramsay stated he was pleased that several Green council groups had already condemned the policy. His intervention places him at odds with current leader Zack Polanski, who has said he will not seek to overturn the motion.

Labour has escalated pressure by ordering its local parties sharing power on councils with Greens to terminate the deals unless the Greens disown the policy. Several Green council groups, including those in Lewes, Warwick and Rother, have already rejected the motion.

Senior party figures have intensified calls for accountability. Hamza Egal, convenor of the racism policy working group, has written to the party leadership warning they have "badly misjudged the membership" and questioning whether the party has been "infiltrated" by pro-Palestine activists. He called for an apology, saying members exercised democratic rights and should not be cast as extremists for backing the motion.

How it is being reported

• Green Party splits deepen as Polanski urged to apologise over handling of ‘Zionism is racism’ motionSenior Greens are now facing calls to apologise for comments made following the conference motionThe Independent · 21 Oct, 16:38
• Ex-Greens co-leader urges council groups to reject Zionism policyExclusive: Adrian Ramsay calls conference motion a distraction and says councillors should maintain coalitions where possible UK politics live – latest updates Adrian Ramsay, the former co-leader of the Greens, has urged his party’s councillors to reject the newly adopted “Zionism is racism” motion if it will help them stay in power in local government, in a fresh sign of internal dissent over the policy. Ramsay, one of the Greens’ five MPs, said he was pleased that a number of Green council groups had already condemned the policy, which was adopted at the party’s conference and also calls…The Guardian · 20 Oct, 09:55

In this story: Adrian Ramsay · Zack Polanski · Caroline Lucas · Hamza Egal · Green Party · Labour

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem