Motion passes despite leadership doubts

The Green Party conference in Brighton voted to describe Zionism as racism. About one thousand members voted in favour and some eight hundred against. Leader Zack Polanski said he would not have voted for it.

Senior members criticise leadership response

Former leader Caroline Lucas and other senior Greens have criticised how the leadership handled the fallout. The party now faces calls for senior members to apologise for comments made after the vote.

Hamza Egal demands apology from leadership

Hamza Egal, convenor of the Greens' racism policy working group, has written to the party's CEO and Zack Polanski warning they have badly misjudged the membership. He said the leadership owes members an apology.

“The leadership owes members an apology”

Members accused of entryism and extremism

Ellie Chowns said she wants to ensure the party is not vulnerable to capture by extremists. Caroline Lucas suggested there had been entryism, with activists joining the Greens solely to back the motion.

Egal rejects leadership power grab

Egal said treating members as political suspects is not democracy. He warned that a leadership that failed to resolve the dispute and now seeks more authority should expect serious resistance from the membership.

“Disagreement is part of democracy. Treating members as political suspects is not.”

Polanski refuses to amend motion until 2028

Over the weekend, Zack Polanski insisted the party's motion describing Zionism as racism is not controversial. He said he will not attempt to amend it until twenty twenty-eight.