Anger over pro-Iran Green Party conference motion

Green Party members could soon be debating whether the UK should scrap its designation of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation and pursue “diplomatic normalisation” with Tehran.

A motion submitted for the party’s autumn conference urges the government to seek diplomatic engagement with Iran and calls on the Greens to campaign for the lifting of economic sanctions, which it argues “primarily harm civilians.”

The motion also states that the party would oppose “the proscription or designation of Iranian state institutions, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),” claiming such measures are “counterproductive, undermine diplomacy, close channels for engagement, and reduce opportunities for mediation and peacebuilding.”

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The proposal comes from Ashok Kumar, a reader in political economy at Birkbeck, University of London, who is a regular media defender of the Greens.

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Notably, the motion makes no reference to the IRGC’s activities in Britain, or to allegations linking the group to recent attacks on the UK’s Jewish community.

Kumar has previously drawn criticism for his social media posts about the war in Gaza. On October 7, 2023, he shared images from the Nova music festival—where 378 Israelis were killed—captioning them: “Sometimes partying on stolen land next to a concentration camp where a million people are starved has consequences.”

After the death of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader behind the October 7 attacks, Kumar posted footage of Sinwar’s final moments alongside the names of Bhagat Singh, Patrice Lumumba, Steve Biko, and Che Guevara, in what appeared to be a tribute.

The post, first reported by The Spectator, has since been deleted.

Subsequently, Kumar wrote that details of Sinwar’s autopsy “only steel-reinforce Sinwar’s stature as a martyr who fought and starved with his people.”

Speaking to The Times, Kumar said he stood by his motion “and the Palestinian people’s right to resist occupation in accordance with international law, because the Green Party should be guided by principle, not act as a vassal of the US empire or stand by while Palestinians are killed and the planet burns.”

David Taylor, the Labour MP, told the newspaper: “It is absolutely disgraceful that the Greens would even consider debating a motion like this.

“The Iranian regime brutally murdered thousands of its own citizens just six months ago. IRGC proxies have carried out a spate of attacks against the Jewish community right here in Britain.

“Zack Polanski must wake up to the threat Iran poses and make sure this motion, and its proposer, is thrown out of the Green Party immediately.”

Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, added: “Kumar is praising an Iranian proxy terrorist organisation and overtly promoting normalising relations with Iran’s barbaric theocratic regime, despite its aggression against the UK.”

Earlier this month, the UK government designated the IRGC under new powers in the National Security Act. Motions for the Green Party conference are prioritised by a ballot of members before reaching the floor.

A Green Party spokesperson said: “Conference is still months away and although members have started to submit motions, not everything submitted ends up being discussed.”