Board, JLC and CST urge Greens not to become ‘overtly antisemitic’ political party

The Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) and Community Security Trust (CST) have written to the Green Party’s leadership regarding the “Zionism is Racism” motion due to be debated at conference this weekend, urging them to oppose “a motion that fuels hatred of Jews”.

Michael Wegier, Claudia Mendoza and Mark Gardner, as the respective Chief Executives of the Board, JLC and CST, wrote to Green leader Zack Polanski, Harriet Lamb, the party’s CEO, Jon Nott, chair of the party’s executive, and Ellie Chowns, the foreign affairs spokesperson. They referenced how in February they had written urging the four to “unequivocally oppose this motion, and to take urgent action to address growing antisemitism within the Green Party.”

In today’s letter, Wegier, Mendoza and Gardner described how “we write to you again today, on the first anniversary of the murderous attack on the Heaton Park Synagogue, to urge you again to oppose a motion that fuels hatred of Jews.

“In our previous letter we noted firstly the concerns expressed in a statement by Jewish Greens, that this motion is an ‘attack on Jewish identity’, that it ‘is likely to make Jews feel unwelcome in the Green Party’, and that the threat of disciplinary action against Zionists will make Jewish members ‘one grudge away from being dragged through the disciplinary process.’ We also emphasised the implications for the safety and welfare of all British Jews, and our belief that this motion would make the Green Party the first electorally significant UK political party in living memory to adopt what appears to be an overtly antisemitic political platform.”

Earlier this week, Jewish News reported that a specific amendment, designed to remove an element of the motion which would enable any attendees of “Zionist” synagogues to be reported to the party, had been rejected, despite the pleas of members of the Jewish Greens group.

The joint letter from Jewish communal organisations goes on to refer to the motion as erasing “the historical experience and identity of Jews in Britain and around the world. Zionism is not racism. It is anti-racism. Modern Zionism was formed in part as a response to antisemitism, creating a refuge for Jews in their ancient homeland after millennia of persecution outside it, culminating in the murder of six million Jews in the Holocaust. Israel is one of the only states to be formed on the strength of a UN vote. This motion’s call for the elimination of Israel, including through violence, shows utter disregard for the security of Israeli Jews, who account for around half of all Jews in the world.”

While Polanski has referred to the motion as an “unhelpful distraction”, the Jewish Green Party leader now describes himself as an anti-Zionist, At a hustings event for the by election in the Holborn and St Pancras constituency, which Polanski is contesting for the Greens, he said that “If you’re defining Zionism as a displacement genocide, which is how, in practice, Zionism has become, then that is racism.”

The letter from the communal organisation CEO’s warned that “In adopting this policy, the Green Party…[would place itself on the extreme margins of democratic politics in relation to this issue. We further warned that in this country, the extremist rhetoric associated with this motion will fan flames of hatred, justifying violence against Israelis and Jews, such as the attacks we saw at the Heaton Park Synagogue a year ago and in Golders Green in April.

“That the leadership of the Green Party have not opposed this motion shows a staggering indifference to the welfare of British Jews. Should it now pass, the motion opens many immediate practical questions for the Green Party. It will no doubt raise legal questions about the obligations of the party in relation to the rights of its Jewish members or prospective members, to be protected from harassment or discrimination in relation to their religion, ethnicity and beliefs. It also raises questions about the implications of the Green Party now appearing to brand most of the British public, regardless of their faith and ethnicity, as “racist” for agreeing with the right of Israel to exist.”

In the last few days, previous leaders of the Green Party, including former MP Caroline Lucas, have said that they will vote against the motion. In comments on Radio 4’s Today programme, Lucas said that “I do have serious concerns about this motion. There is no single definition of Zionism, and irrespective of the intentions of the people who put that motion forward, I think there is a real risk that it’ll be divisive and could be seen as a sign that Jewish people aren’t welcome in the party. I will not be supporting it for that reason.”

The communal letter also raises a series of points regarding Green party policy if the motion were to pass, with the writers noting that “it raises immediate questions about how the Green Party will now relate to the British Jewish community, having explicitly branded most Jews and synagogue denominations as racist for holding commitments they regard as intrinsic to their Jewish identities.

“In practical terms, we wish to understand the implications for the welfare and security of Jews and Jewish institutions located within areas represented by Green Party elected officials. How will Green Party MPs, council leaders and councillors engage with Jewish communities, communal leaders and institutions that Green Party policy declares are ‘racist’. Can ‘racist’ Jewish individuals and institutions continue to expect equal access to their elected representatives and equal provision of services? Will Green Party officials be willing even to meet with ‘racist’ Jews, visit ‘racist’ synagogues, or hear from ‘racist’ cross-communal Jewish representative organisations? How will Green Party-led councils relate to Jewish faith schools that fall under their responsibility, that the party has branded ‘racist’?

“We also would like to know what assessment you have made of the impact of this motion on community cohesion, including interfaith relations. In Haringey and Hackney for example, where Green Party council leaders have recently been elected, there are strong and long standing interfaith initiatives and dialogues. How will Green Party-led councils now relate to these initiatives when they have declared Jewish participants to be ‘racist’?”

The Green party is set to debate the “Zionism is racism” motion on Sunday.