The Board of Deputies of British Jews has declared the Green Party a racist party, following the passage of a 'Zionism is racism' policy at the party's conference earlier this month. The motion, passed on Sunday by 118 votes to one, states that the Greens 'by adopting an antisemitic platform become a racist party'.
Board's motion and leadership response
Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg said: "By adopting an antisemitic platform, the Green Party of England and Wales has become a racist party. We will treat it accordingly."
Rosenberg added: "No political party has the right to tell Jews that a central part of our identity, rooted in thousands of years of history, faith and peoplehood, is racist. The Green Party's policy brands much of our community, including our synagogues and communal organisations, with that slur. It gives prejudice against Jews a political licence."
The motion urged other parties not to form coalition deals with the Greens unless the party's local leadership rejected the policy and committed to overturning it. Labour has already issued an ultimatum to local Green groups in coalition with it, telling them to disown the motion or lose the party's support.
Green Party's denial and response
The Green Party has denied that it excludes those with Zionist views. A party spokesman said: "The Green Party does not discriminate against or exclude people for holding Zionist views. The motion passed at our conference sets out political opposition to the ethnic cleansing and displacement of the Palestinian people."
Neither party leader Zack Polanski nor Gorton and Denton MP Hannah Spencer voted in the motion. Rosenberg said: "We recognise and commend those within the party who have opposed it, including Jewish members whose warnings were disregarded. They deserve to be heard and supported."
Rosenberg also called on democratic parties and wider civil society to apply the same standards to anti-Jewish racism as they would to any other form of racism. The Green Party spokesman added: "We reject the Board of Deputies' characterisation of this motion and our party, which will not stop us from speaking out against the genocide in Gaza and pushing for stronger sanctions against the Israeli government and its leaders."
