UK Greens celebrate landmark ’Zionism is racism’ policy adoption

The motion passed by an overwhelming 1022 votes to 813, with all but three amendments being rejected during the annual Green Party conference held in Brighton.

The move means the party has adopted an official anti-Zionist stance, treating the ideology as a form of racism. It is the first UK mainstream party to formally adopt an anti-Zionist stance.

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Members in favour of the motion walked out of the auditorium at the Brighton Centre jubilantly smiling and cheering.

“This is hope for the future of our people, for the future of all oppressed, and sets an example and a precedent that we, as a people, are unified, we oppose injustice, we oppose occupation, oppression, genocide, apartheid, and racism, and that includes Zionism,” Lubna Speitan, author of the motion, told The New Arab.

“Today, the people acknowledge that they sent a message to the world: we want to see a full and liberated Palestine from the river to the sea, and nothing feels better than to see that finally, the people and the world are standing with us.”

The motion called for the party to define Zionism as racist, and states that anti-Zionism is not to be equated with antisemitism. It reasserts the party’s commitment to Palestinian liberation, the right of return, support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and a full arms embargo against Israel.

The motion also calls for the establishment of a single democratic state throughout historic Palestine.

“The fact that this party, which I believe in greatly, and I believe is genuinely anti-racist party, has recognised that, is an immensely important moment in this party’s development,” Kieran Andrieu, a British Palestinian political economist and supporter of the motion, said.

“I think it’s an immensely important moment in this party’s development as a serious party of government, contrary to the dregs; the nonsense that no doubt the right-wing and mainstream media will try to attack us on the basis of.”

‘They’re entitled to their opinion’
Among the many motions that were being debated at the conference, the “Zionism is racism” proposal was a hot topic among party officials, members, and the media.

Speaking exclusively to The New Arab in Brighton ahead of the vote, Mothin Ali, co-deputy leader of the Green Party, gave support for it.

“Let’s be real. Israel is one state. But the way it’s constructed at the moment is 6 million people, approximately, are not allowed access, or they’re not allowed to participate in the system that governs their lives, and that’s based on race,” Ali said.

“I think [Zionism] is racism because of the way it manifests… and genocide is driven by racism, it’s the ultimate form of racism. Genocide is the ultimate manifestation of racism. So, the logical conclusion is the underlying principle behind that is also racist.”

Despite the motion receiving a record-breaking number of co-proposers, many of the party’s key officials, including Deputy Leader Rachel Millward and former party leader Caroline Lucas, had their reservations.

Meanwhile, party leader Zack Polanski did not explicitly give his views on the motion, but called for two amendments — one to explicitly safeguard Jewish members, and another to drop the call for a single state. Both amendments were rejected.

“They’re entitled to their opinion just as much as anyone else is, but they need to start listening to the members of the party if they want to keep the support and the vote and the trust of the people,” Speitan said.

‘An educational journey’
“I think the people have sent them a big message too.”

“I hope that this is a journey for them, an educational journey to understand what oppression and racism truly are and hopefully, they can, with the others who haven’t realised that yet, we’ll get there in the end.”

At the same time, Andrieu dismissed reports of “internal divisions” within the party, saying that the vote itself was orderly, mature and collegiate.

“I support our MPs as MPs for the Green Party. We happen to have a pretty substantive difference on this issue, but nothing in that hall when we were voting on it was not collegiate, unprofessional, immature, or personal. There was none of that,” Andrieu asserted.

“I want to uphold those principles while also holding open the space to disagree with each other on substantive issues, which is exactly what we’ve done.”

While party officials refused to speak to the press after the vote, an official statement acknowledged that the motion “has been a serious and deeply felt debate within our membership”.

“Our members value the ability to bring forward and decide party policy, and conference has now made its decision,” a Green Party spokesperson said.

At the same time, a joint statement from the Green Party’s five MPs, leader and co-deputy leaders said: “We will continue to work to ensure that the Green Party is an anti-racist party in every way.”

“We know there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people.”

Israeli backlash
Al Jazeera reports that Israel has reacted with anger after the Green Party vote to define Zionism as a form of racism.

Israel, as well as British Jewish groups, lashed out following the vote with the Tel Aviv government declaring that it now views the left-leaning Greens as giving “legitimacy to terrorism”.

Republished from The New Arab under Creative Commons.