Former Green leader: ‘Many of us were persuaded not to campaign publicly’ against Zionism is Racism motion

Further questions about the Green Party’s “Zionism is Racism” motion have been raised after one of its former leader released a statement in which she suggested that she and “many of us” had been persuaded “not to campaign publicly” against it.

Sian Berry, the MP for Brighton Pavilion, published a statement on Friday morning in the wake of the Holborn & St Pancras by-election result, in which the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, lost to Labour’s candidate, Sagal Abdi-Wali.

The defeat came a few days after a highly controversial motion, “Zionism is Racism” was passed at Green party conference. Members present also specifically and overwhelmingly voted against an amendment which was designed to protect Jewish Green party members who attend Synagogues or Jewish community centres.

Since then, there has been widespread condemnation of the Green from other UK political parties, as well as criticism from the European Greens international grouping, which said it “unequivocally distance[d]” itself from the motion and said that it would “immediately demand clarity from the leadership and parliamentary group of GPEW [Green Party of England and Wales].”

In her statement on Friday morning, Sian Berry said, regarding the ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion, that “I voted and argued against it because I felt it needed serious amendment, and if not then sending back for more dialogue or voting down. But the clash of conference with an exciting and mobilising by-election campaign meant many of us were persuaded not to campaign publicly for these ends, while proposers were very organised and remained intent upon no changes at all.”

Berry’s statement continued: “I want to take my full share of personal responsibility for the result of all this in the votes at conference. I should have worked harder to persuade more of our leading figures to speak up in a unified way to say that the motion as written was clearly not reflective of our values and policy principles.”

She further went on to say that she “apologise[d] to members and constituents for where we are now as a party, which I know is causing real concern”, urging those thinking of leaving the party to “please stay and let us fix this together.”

Darren Johnson, a former Green party councillor and London Assembly member who has become a staunch critic of the party’s current direction, described the statement as: “Some serious soul-searching and attempts at damage limitation fence-mending with the voting public among what passes for the grown-ups in the Green Party these days, now the enormity of the party’s growing toxicity has begun to sink in following the conference vote.”

The Green party has been contacted for comment.