UK Greens face widening backlash after adopting 'Zionism is racism' policy

The dispute began with a proposal to make the Green Party of England and Wales formally define Zionism as a form of racism. On October 2, Middle East Eye reported that members would vote on the motion at their conference.

The debate came at a politically sensitive moment for party leader Zack Polanski. The Financial Times described the conference dispute and the approaching Holborn by-election as a defining week, amid signs that the party's surge in support was faltering.

Polanski had described himself as an anti-Zionist, according to the Guardian. But the proposal also alarmed some Jewish members, the Guardian reported when the vote passed.

On October 4, members adopted the policy at the annual conference in Brighton, voting 1,022 in favour and 813 against, according to the Guardian. The result made the disputed position formal party policy rather than simply the view of individual members.

Condemnation followed from Jewish groups, Labour and Israel's government. The Financial Times reported that Jewish community leaders warned the motion discriminated against Jewish supporters. The National Post also reported criticism from the ruling Labour Party.

Israel accused the Greens of giving "legitimacy to terrorism", according to Middle East Eye. Al Jazeera reported that Israel's president called the policy an "antisemitic lie" that deliberately endangered Jews and Israelis. These were Israel's characterisations of the motion.

By October 5, Israel had barred Polanski, Euronews reported. Its coverage also highlighted internal opposition: at least three of the party's five MPs had opposed the policy. Separately, the Guardian reported dismay from the group representing European Greens.

Also on October 5, the BBC reported that nine Labour MPs had referred the Greens to Sussex Police, asking whether alleged "possible antisemitic offences" at the conference merited a criminal investigation. A referral is not a finding that an offence occurred.

On October 6, the dispute widened into a question of future political cooperation. The Guardian reported that senior Labour figures considered cooperation with the Greens very unlikely. A minister said they could not see the parties cooperating, while an official wanted a coalition formally ruled out.

The policy remains adopted, but the vote has exposed divisions within the Greens and damaged relations beyond the party. Euronews reported condemnation from both Labour and the Conservatives, alongside opposition among Green MPs.

Polanski has pushed back against the response. "I won't accept exclusion," he said, according to the BBC. Meanwhile, the Financial Times assessed that the motion had narrowed the party's potential base of support.

The latest coverage describes the motion as making the party officially anti-Zionist and backing a single democratic state, according to Middle East Eye. The broader dispute now concerns both that policy and whether other parties will work with the Greens.

One unresolved issue is whether Labour turns senior figures' objections into a formal position against a coalition. The Guardian reported a call for that step, not an announcement that it had been taken.

Another is the response to the police referral. The supplied BBC coverage establishes that MPs requested an assessment of alleged offences, but does not establish that a criminal investigation has begun.