Green Party of England and Wales members vote to treat Zionism as racism, drawing condemnation

Members of the Green Party of England and Wales voted on Sunday 4 October 2026 to adopt a motion declaring that Zionism is racism. The motion passed at the party's annual conference by 1,022 votes to 813, according to the Guardian and the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

The motion states that Zionism will be "treated as any other form of racism". It also backs a single Palestinian state. The Guardian describes this as a single state in place of Israel "with equal rights for all". SCMP quotes the text as calling for a "single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine".

The party, which has five MPs, said in a statement that it had been "a serious and deeply felt debate within our membership". The Israeli government and British Jewish groups criticised the vote.

What is reported

According to the Guardian, the conference took place in Brighton and the motion is now formal party policy. The newspaper reports that four of the five Green MPs publicly opposed it. The reports do not name the four.

The Guardian also reports that party leader Zack Polanski missed the vote to campaign in Holborn and St Pancras, where he is standing in a parliamentary byelection next week.

The motion was pushed by a group called Greens for Palestine, which encouraged non-members to join the party, according to the Guardian. It reports that members voted down an amendment saying the motion should not be used to "pressure, proscribe or discipline members based on affiliation with Jewish community institutions".

The Guardian reports that some members are expected to challenge the move under equality laws and that some are consulting lawyers. No legal challenge is reported as filed.

What is disputed

The parties disagree on whether the motion is antisemitic or unlawful. According to the Guardian, the motion says it is aimed at the political ideology and practice of Zionism, not at the religious or ethnic background of those who identify as Zionists. The Movement for Progressive Judaism said: "The motion is antisemitic in its formulation and intention." Barrister Adam Wagner KC said there is "a strong risk that the motion as passed contravenes the Equality Act 2010".

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include the full text of the motion, so some characterisations of it cannot be checked.

What each side says

• Israeli foreign ministry: In a statement relayed by the Guardian, citing a Sun reporter, it said: "As long as this resolution remains in place, it will stand as a stain on the history of the United Kingdom."
• Green Party: Its statement said it "is an anti-racist party" and remains committed to opposing racism in all its forms.
• Zack Polanski: The Guardian reported that he told the BBC on Saturday: "Well, in the motion, it is defined as the displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people. I think that is clearly racism."
• Adrian Ramsay, Green MP: "I am deeply saddened the ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion has passed. It doesn’t reflect Green principles or my own view."
• Chris Philp, Conservative shadow home secretary: "British Jews should not have to disclaim a belief in Jewish self-determination and the existence of Israel in order to be accepted by a British political party."
• Board of Deputies of British Jews, Community Security Trust and Jewish Leadership Council: In a joint letter before the vote, they said passing the motion would place the party "on the extreme margins of democratic politics".

Analysis

The vote leaves the party with a policy that most of its MPs publicly opposed, according to the Guardian, and the margin suggests a divided membership. Several paths are possible. A legal challenge under equality law could follow, though none is reported as filed and its outcome would be uncertain. The party could also revisit or clarify the policy internally, or implement it as passed. How it is applied to members may matter as much as the text. The motion, as quoted by the Guardian, assigns implementation to the party's anti-racism policy working group "in accordance with its ordinary practice", but the reports do not detail that practice. The effect on the party's electoral standing and its relations with other parties remains open.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.