Westminster City Council has passed a motion declaring that “Zionism is not racism”, with Labour and Conservative councillors voting unanimously in favour of the statement. The decision was met by hundreds of protesters outside the town hall on Wednesday night.
Motion Challenges Green Party Position
The borough’s motion stated: “Support for the Jewish people’s right to self-determination is not racist”. It directly contradicts a position adopted by the Green Party at its conference in October, which described Zionism as an ideology supporting “an ethnonationalist Jewish state in historic Palestine to the exclusion and/or domination of the non-Jewish population” and stated that “Zionism is racism”.
Westminster’s chief executive, Stuart Love, has been asked to review the local authority’s “equality, diversity and community cohesion training and policies” to ensure they “do not treat Jewish residents’ support for Jewish self-determination as a form of racism”.
Protests and Counter-Protests Outside Town Hall
Dozens of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags banged drums and chanted “long live the resistance” outside the full council meeting. Counter-protesters held a banner branding the Green Party “racist” and displayed Israeli flags on the steps of the town hall.
Conservative councillor Hannah Galley told the meeting: “To have the support of both parties in this chamber is very important for what is only our second joint motion since 2018.” She described representing Abbey Road, a ward with a large and vibrant Jewish community, and said she had witnessed “a growing climate of intolerance, intimidation, and hatred directed towards Jewish people”.
Galley added: “At its heart, Zionism is the belief in the right of Jewish people to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. For many Jewish people, Zionism is deeply intertwined with their religious, cultural and historical identity.”
Green Party Faces Criticism
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has written to the Green Party about the statement, asking to “assess its practical implications and potential impact”. Senior Green members, including former co-leader Adrian Ramsay and the party’s first MP Caroline Lucas, also condemned the motion. Ramsay called on local parties to renounce the policy, putting him at odds with current leader Zack Polanski.
Westminster council’s motion resolves to “affirm that Zionism is not racism, and reject the position, adopted by the Green Party at its October 2026 conference”.
