Green Party faces widening backlash after adopting 'Zionism is racism' policy

The dispute began with a proposal to make "Zionism is racism" Green Party policy. Members were due to debate it at their annual conference in Brighton, Middle East Eye reported on October 2.

The vote was approaching at a politically sensitive moment for Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. The Financial Times described the conference dispute and the forthcoming Holborn by-election as a defining week for his leadership.

Polanski had already described himself as an anti-Zionist, according to the Guardian. But the proposed wording alarmed some Jewish members, setting up a division over the position the party should formally adopt.

On October 4, members approved the motion by 1,022 votes to 813. The Guardian reported that the result formally established a policy equating Zionism with racism.

Condemnation followed that day. Jewish community leaders warned that the policy discriminated against Jewish supporters, according to the Financial Times. The National Post reported criticism from three British Jewish groups, the ruling Labour Party and Israel's government.

By October 5, Israel had barred Polanski. Euronews reported that Labour and the Conservatives had condemned the policy, and that at least three of the Greens' five MPs opposed it. The Guardian also reported dismay from the group representing European Greens.

The dispute widened beyond political criticism. On October 5, the BBC reported that nine Labour MPs had referred the party to Sussex Police, asking whether alleged "possible antisemitic offences" at the conference warranted a criminal investigation. On October 6, the Guardian reported that senior Labour figures considered future cooperation with the Greens very unlikely, with one official calling for a coalition to be formally ruled out.

On October 7, the BBC reported that the Greens were investigating Lubna Speitan, the party member behind the motion. It said she had been listed in court documents as a "close friend" of a man later jailed for supporting al-Qaeda.

On October 8, Prime Minister Andy Burnham called on Polanski to reverse the motion, the BBC reported. That day, GB News reported that the Campaign Against Antisemitism had referred the party to the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The adopted policy now sits at the centre of a dispute involving the party's own MPs, Jewish organisations, British political opponents and Israel. The coverage provided reports no reversal. Polanski has said he will not accept exclusion, according to the BBC.

The consequences for cooperation with Labour remain politically significant but not fully settled. The Guardian reported strong opposition from senior Labour figures, including a call for a formal coalition exclusion. That is distinct from a confirmed party-wide decision ruling out every form of cooperation.

The police and equality watchdog referrals are also distinct from findings of wrongdoing. The reports from the BBC and GB News describe requests for scrutiny, not completed investigations or rulings.

The immediate issue is whether Polanski and the Greens respond to Burnham's demand by seeking to reverse the members' decision. The party's investigation into Speitan also remains unresolved in the supplied coverage, following the BBC's October 7 report.

Responses to the police and equality watchdog referrals will determine whether those complaints lead to further action. The Holborn and St Pancras by-election is another test: Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali condemned the motion ahead of the vote, Middle East Eye reported on October 7.