The Green Party has confirmed that Gorton and Denton MP Hannah Spencer did not vote on the controversial 'Zionism is racism' motion passed at its conference in Brighton on Sunday, October 4.
Members backed the motion with 1,022 votes in favour and 813 against. It declares the Greens to be an 'anti-Zionist party' and sets into policy that Zionism, the movement to develop and protect a Jewish state in Israel, will be 'treated as any other form of racism'.
Spencer absent from conference vote
Ms Spencer was not at the party's conference on Sunday as she was campaigning with party leader Zack Polanski in Holborn and St Pancras ahead of Thursday's by-election (October 8). A spokesperson said: "Hannah didn't vote on any policy over the weekend, and wasn't at the conference on the Sunday when the debate and vote on this motion took place."
The Manchester Evening News understands she was on the campaign trail with Mr Polanski. A source pointed out the Labour government chose the date of the by-election and that it was the busiest weekend for the campaign.
Party leaders' joint statement
Writing on her Facebook page on Sunday afternoon, Ms Spencer said: "I'm proud that the debate today at our party conference was respectful and kind. And I'm proud to be part of a party committed to Jewish rights, and Palestinian rights.
"I talk so often about wanting a world where people always continue to work together, listen to each other and to find common ground. This isn't easy, but the hard stuff never is. I will always try to do that, and to always continue my own, and our party's deep commitment to anti racism."
Ms Spencer also put her name to a joint party statement from the Greens' five MPs as well as its leaders, co-deputy leaders, and peers. It said: "As Green Party leaders and MPs, we will always uphold universal human rights. We will never tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. We will continue to stand in opposition to genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and the illegal occupation.
"We will continue to call out the heinous crimes of the Netanyahu government. And we will continue to work to ensure that the Green Party is an anti-racist party in every way. We know there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people."
Motion and fallout
The motion also supports the establishment of a 'single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital'. The party has come under fire for the conference vote, which came just days before the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, in which the Green Party's leader, Zack Polanski, is running. Mr Polanski abstained, having already left the conference to return to campaigning in Sir Keir Starmer's old constituency.
A party spokesman said following the vote: "This has been a serious and deeply felt debate within our membership. Our members value the ability to bring forward and decide party policy, and conference has now made its decision.
"The Green Party is an anti-racist party and has consistently opposed the illegal occupation of both Palestinian and Syrian land, called for an end to arms sales to the Israeli government and spoken out fearlessly about the devastating situation in Gaza and the West Bank.
"Those positions remain central to our approach. So too does our deeply-held commitment to equality, justice and human rights for all, and opposition to racism in all its forms."
The members voted against adding a clause to make clear the motion should not be used to 'pressure, proscribe or discipline' party members for their affiliation to synagogues or other Jewish groups that describe themselves as Zionist.
In the wake of the vote, the Wales Green Party's deputy leader announced his resignation on Tuesday, and said that he had left the party after seven years. In a video published online, Phil Davies said he had been thinking about leaving for 'a couple of months', but that it was 'accelerated' by the 'Zionism is racism' motion. The motion has also been widely condemned by Jewish leaders, with chief rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, calling it 'poisonous antisemitism'.
