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// DOSSIER — uk-green-party-classify-zionism-racism
UK Green Party Sparks Global Backlash After Voting to Classify Zionism as Racism
REL_TIME: 08 Oct 2026 18:12Z · LANG: EN
At its annual conference in Brighton, the Green Party of England and Wales passed a controversial motion defining Zionism as a form of racism and endorsing a single democratic state in historic Palestine. The 1,022 to 813 vote triggered immediate international and domestic backlash. Israel's Foreign Ministry condemned the resolution, accused the party of legitimizing terrorism, and barred Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering the country. Domestically, the decision has caused deep fractures within the Green Party, leading to high-profile resignations, including Sandy Ruthven, chair of Amnesty International UK's charitable trust. It has also become a focal point in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, where Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali condemned the motion as divisive.
// Background
The Green Party of England and Wales has experienced rapid growth, nearly tripling its membership over the past year, partly due to left-wing voters defecting from the Labour Party over its stance on the Gaza conflict. The party won 6% of the vote in the 2024 UK general election. The 'Zionism is Racism' motion was previously slated for a vote in the spring of 2026 but faced delays before being passed at the Brighton conference in October 2026.
// Key Developments
- Green Party of England and Wales voted 1,022 to 813 to adopt the 'Zionism is Racism' motion at its Brighton conference.
- The motion calls for a single democratic state in historic Palestine with equal rights and a right of return, effectively ending Israel as a Jewish state.
- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar barred Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering Israel in response to the vote.
- Sandy Ruthven, chair of Amnesty International UK's charitable trust, resigned from the Green Party in protest of the motion.
- Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali condemned the motion ahead of the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, while facing scrutiny over her own links to the Jewish Labour Movement.
- The European Green Party and German Green co-leader Felix Banaszak condemned the resolution as unacceptable.
// Timeline
-
Green Party annual conference opens at the Brighton Centre.
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Green Party members vote to pass the 'Zionism is Racism' motion; Israel immediately bars party leader Zack Polanski.
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Sandy Ruthven MBE resigns from the Green Party; Israeli and British Jewish organizations issue strong condemnations.
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Reports emerge of internal backlash, including the resignation of Waterloo Green councillor Kieran Dams as local coordinator.
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Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali publicly condemns the motion ahead of the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
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The Holborn and St Pancras by-election takes place, serving as the first electoral test since the controversial vote.
// Perspectives
[Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
Strongly condemned the motion as antisemitic, accused the Greens of adopting Hamas's ideology, and barred Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering Israel.
[Greens for Palestine]
Promoted and supported the motion, arguing it provides moral clarity on Gaza and defines Zionism as an ethnonationalist political project.
[Jewish Greens]
Deeply divided; chair Vivien Lichtenstein expressed concern that the motion does not help Palestinians and stated she is considering leaving the party.
[European Green Party]
Expressed concern prior to the vote and sought discussions with the UK party, stating the resolution conflicts with European Green policy supporting Israel's right to exist.
// Quotes
“It has been brought up to me by people literally at the school gates this morning, of how like divisive they found that motion and how worried they are by it.”
“In seeking to court the hard-left vote, we have failed to confront prejudice when it appears on our own side.”
“Those who claim the antisemitic lie that 'Zionism is racism' deliberately endanger Jews and Israelis everywhere.”
