The Green Party has been hijacked by hardcore activists, according to Nick Ferrari, who warns of dark times ahead for the party once viewed as “nutty but nice”.
Writing in his column, Ferrari said the party has opted to pursue a “dark and sinister” policy that puts at risk the wellbeing of a specific group in society. At their conference in Brighton, where a “safe room” had to be arranged for Jewish Greens and two members had their passes revoked, they passed a motion stating that “Zionism is a form of racism” and rejected a clause that would have prevented the motion being used to “pressure, proscribe or discipline” any party member perceived to be sympathetic to Zionist groups.
Dictionary definition cited
Ferrari quoted the Oxford Dictionary definition of Zionism: “Zionism refers to the movement among European Jews in the late nineteenth century to create a Jewish homeland.” He noted there is nothing about “ethnic cleansing” nor any reference to supporting Israel’s actions in Gaza, adding that many argue supporting the “two-state solution” makes one a Zionist.
He said the party, once focused on environmental issues such as bottle banks and tree planting, is now in the “ludicrous position” where a Jewish party member attending synagogue could face disciplinary action. He said the position adopted by the Greens gets close to the line of open hostility towards Jewish people, especially given the vote took place three days before the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
Reaction and fallout
Earlier this year, the party suspended some local election candidates after antisemitic statements and social media posts were uncovered. Former Green leader Caroline Lucas called the move “divisive”, and four of the party’s MPs opposed it. Ferrari noted that Green leader Zack Polanski, having handpicked the Holborn and St Pancras constituency, failed to win the seat in the early hours of Friday morning.
Ferrari concluded: “Dark times indeed for the Greens.”
