The UK Green Party’s planned vote on a “Zionism is Racism” motion did not proceed after multiple no-confidence votes were submitted, creating delays and meaning it was never heard or debated.
Members of the party brought Motion A105 Zionism is Racism in February, which defines Zionism as racism, recognizes its “continued harm to Palestinians,” and would position the stance of the Green Party as anti-Zionist.
The proposed motion recognizes Zionism as Israel’s foundational ideology that has created and maintains an apartheid regime between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. It further affirms the right to self-determination and liberation of the Palestinian people and supports the establishment of a “single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital.” This would effectively eradicate the State of Israel.
The motion was intended to be heard and voted on during Saturday’s Spring Conference.
However, according to The Telegraph, members backed by the Jewish Greens submitted a motion to restrict the use of the terms “Zionist” and “anti-Zionist” in official party communications, in an effort to stop the Zionism is Racism proposal.
Supporters of ‘Zionism is Racism’ then fast-tracked their motion, which meant it would be heard much earlier than first planned.
However, before it was able to be heard, multiple motions of ‘no confidence in the chair’ were submitted one after another in an effective filibuster. Under the Green Party’s constitution, all no-confidence motions must be debated, which took up the remaining conference time (even with an extension) and meant that the Zionism is Racism motion and its four amendments were not heard, debated, or voted on.
The motion can still be heard at a later conference.
Separately, last week, The Telegraph revealed messages from within a Green Party WhatsApp Group in which one member described Jewish people as “an abomination to this planet.”
One member of the ‘Greens for Palestine’ group, a Left-wing faction in the Green Party, said Jews “murder, bomb, and starve” children. Another, according to The Telegraph, called the arson attack on four Hatzola ambulances in London a “false flag” operation
Campaign Against Antisemitism said its lawyers will be examining the correspondence.
'Views are straight out of Nazi Germany'
“Their views are straight out of Nazi Germany,” the campaign group said. “The real question is whether the Green Party is going to do anything about people who believe Jews are an abomination, and about the factions that include them and the motions that they propose.”
“Doing nothing will be the real abomination. This is a major moment for the Green Party to decide what it is and which side of morality it wants to be on.”
Zach Polanski, the party leader, has also entered into a public spat with British journalist Nicole Lampert over a piece she wrote for the Daily Mail.
Lampert claimed to have spoken to three members of Polanski’s extended family who said they would leave the UK if he became leader.
“He’s currently the leader of the future Islamic party of Britain, that’s what the Green Party is fast becoming,” said one, allegedly. “And there would be no place for Jews in an Islamic state of Britain.”
Polanski, who was born to a Jewish family, responded by calling Lampert’s behavior “parasitic” and saying he is the “only Jewish person to lead a political party” and that he will take “no lectures in antisemitism “ from “enemy” the Daily Mail.