Green Party at “crossroads” after Zionism motion sparks internal clash
Former co-leader Adrian Ramsay warns the Greens must refocus on core values amid fallout from a Zionism‑as‑racism motion.
Green Party at “crossroads” – former co‑leader Adrian Ramsay told the BBC the party must return to its “core values” after members adopted a motion that defines Zionism as a form of racism.
The motion, which Green Party leader Zack Polanski did not take part in or vote on, described Zionism as an ideology supporting “an ethnonationalist Jewish state” that has led to the “disenfranchisement and destruction” of Palestinians. It also backed the creation of “a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine”, encompassing modern‑day Israel.
Ramsay said the Greens need policies that can attract a majority of British voters if they are to deliver the “environmental changes that we need”. He warned against an approach that could be “quite divisive”.
Polanski responded that there is no environmental justice without social, racial and economic justice.
The motion provoked backlash from some Jewish groups and criticism from senior Green figures, including Ramsay and other Green MPs. Israel’s foreign ministry announced it had banned Polanski, who is Jewish, from entering the country.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission wrote to the Green Party requesting more information about the motion after concerns were raised by dozens of Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs and Jewish campaigners.
Labour later said it would end power‑sharing agreements with the Greens on local councils unless its councillors disowned the policy.
Speaking to Newscast, Ramsay answered “no, it’s not” when asked if he thought Zionism is racist, then said he agreed with Polanski and others that what is happening in Gaza is “appalling”. He added he believes Israel has a right to exist, a point Polanski has not explicitly made.
Ramsay, who joined the Green Party in 1998, said he is “deeply uncomfortable” with the adopted motion and sees an “opportunity to take some action in relation to the motion in the run‑up” to the party’s spring conference next year.
The internal dispute highlights a tension between the party’s environmental agenda and its stance on social and geopolitical issues.
