Green Party

Green Party. Racist Party.

Green Party activists are campaigning for their party to adopt a motion that demands the destruction of Israel and brands as racist anyone who disagrees with this. Mark Birbeck says no other party has yet adopted such extremist views, and it is transforming our political landscape.

Our Fight activists highlighting the Green Party's racism in Parliament Square. Photo: Elliott Franks

In March the Green Party Spring Conference was scheduled to vote on Motion A105/E12 which not only demanded the destruction of Israel, but also declared that anyone who disagrees with this view is a racist.

For many people who have been supporters of a party that was founded to address environmental problems, this is difficult to believe. Indeed, many Green Party members we spoke to prior to the March conference had not even heard of this motion.

But difficult to swallow as it may be, it is true: Lubna Speitan's motion talks of "Jewish supremacy"; it suggests that supporting armed resistance against Israel is "integral to the Green Party’s commitment to justice and anti-racism"; it calls for the rejection of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism — and indeed suggests that the term 'anti-Semitism' itself is used only as cover; and most chillingly, the motion calls for the eradication of the state of Israel in its current form, and says that anyone who defends Israel's right to exist — the essence of Zionism — is by definition racist.

Time to Leave

No other party of the right or the left has yet adopted such a collection of extreme views. And although it has not yet passed, this motion is fundamentally changing the political landscape in the UK. By presenting these ideas under the banner of the 'cuddly' Green Party they are being mainstreamed, and there seems to be little opposition.

For now, what opposition there is within the party encourages members to vote against the motion. Whilst we understand that it is hard to accept the fundamental transformation that has happened to the party, it is sadly irredeemable. Its political culture has been transformed and alongside it, its membership; when Zack Polanski became leader last October it numbered around 68,000. Today it sits above 200,000, and is still climbing.

There is no point in pretending that these new members are planning to clean canals at the weekend; it is time to put sentiment aside and leave this party, and make it as clear as possible exactly what the party now stands for.

Outside Opposition

Other political parties and media outlets have also engaged in criticism, and they tend to focus on exposing the deep anti-Semitism of Green Party candidates. This is definitely to be welcomed. No-one will lose any sleep over seeing arch bigots such as Mark Adderley suspended from the Green Party for comments comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, accusing Mossad of killing Charlie Kirk or saying Donald Trump is 'owned' by Israel.

But the Green Party's drive towards characterising Zionism as racism — and the shopping basket of prejudice that they have thrown into the motion — creates a much larger problem for Jews and their allies in Britain, larger even than the crude anti-Semitism of their candidates.

Israel's Right to Exist

Perhaps the most important mistake that is being made is to try to 'defend' a definition of Zionism against the attacks from this motion. We need to stress that the proponents of this motion — and indeed of others such as David Miller's Anti-Zionist Movement — essentially have a very simple working definition of Zionism, and that is any person or organisation that refuses to criticise Israel.

They do not care about Theodor Herzl or Chaim Weizmann. They are not concerned where you stand on two-states. The subtleties of 'historic homelands' is nothing to them. They say simply that anyone who supports Israel in any way is a Zionist. Witness the aggression that anyone who attends a protest receives. Witness the graffiti on Gail's bakery. Witness the placards outside the Bob Vylan concert or in Birmingham before the Maccabi Tel Aviv game against Aston Villa.

Scaring Allies Away

And of course 'racism' is the term that is attached to anyone that you want to shut down. For years now, political discussion and debate about all sorts of issues has been stifled simply by throwing out the word 'racist' and then watching your opponents run for cover.

So to say 'Zionism is Racism' is not just about attempting to attach the worst epithet to anyone who would stand with Israel — Jewish or not, Israeli or not — it is an attempt to isolate Israel, it is an attempt to frighten away anyone who would stand with them.

And that is why we must push back.

Time to Act

So what can we do?

First, we must simply say that if supporting the right of Israel to exist is 'Zionist' then we are proud Zionists. We are not here to defend any particular Israeli politician or party — but we will defend Israel's right to exist, and we will stand against those who are trying to popularise the idea that Israel should be opposed. Whoever heard of a nation that you disagreed with being dismantled simply because you felt it was at fault? In particular, we will also resist any attempt to scare off non-Jews from standing with our Jewish and Israeli friends, through cynical use of the term 'racist'.

Second, we must encourage members to leave the Green Party and others not to vote for it. Whilst the motion was not discussed at the Spring conference due to filibustering, it will be back at the next conference, and the motion will eventually win. Anyone remaining in the Green Party is giving cover to the transformation of the Green Party into the definitive party of anti-Semitism. Anyone voting for it is helping it to get increasingly closer to the levers of power.

Finally, get involved with Our Fight, around the country. This issue goes far beyond the May elections. Look out for opportunities to challenge and expose the Green Party in your area. Get in touch. Join our mailing-list. We cannot allow our political landscape to be fundamentally transformed by this bigotry.