‘Greens in same league as British Union of Fascists’, says Hastings Jewish community

Hastings Jewish community has written to the Green Party, accusing it of being no better than Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists in the latest backlash against the party’s decision to declare Zionism a form of racism.

In a furious letter to Green councillors, who control the local council, Hastings and District Jewish Community said the policy placed the party alongside Britain’s most notorious extremist movements.

The intervention follows similar concerns raised by the Jewish community in Highgate, where a local synagogue rejected attempts by the Green council leadership to reassure congregants the party does not pose a threat to Jewish life.

“We are distressed, disbelieving and shocked at the new Green policy that Zionism is apparently racism,” the Hastings letter states.

“This is blatantly antisemitic and puts the Green party in the company of the National Front, the British Union of Fascists, the Imperial Fascist League, the Communist Party of Great Britain, the Socialist Workers Party, and the Workers Revolutionary Party, who all have or had the same policy.

“In other words, the Green party can now fairly be called an institutionally antisemitic party with policy in common with fascists.”

The community said it had previously warned Green councillors about hostility and discrimination experienced by Jewish residents in Hastings, but claimed its complaints had repeatedly been ignored.

“We have already written several letters to you detailing exactly how much discrimination and hostility our members have experienced in Hastings. You have ignored this information every single time.”

The organisation said it had referred councillors to the Standards Committee and that its complaints were now being investigated by the Local Authority Ombudsman.

It also accused the local Green Party of supporting aggressive Palestine Solidarity Campaign activities, alleging that its association with campaigners involved fundraising that could ultimately benefit Hamas. The allegation has not been independently verified.

The letter demands urgent clarification about the implications of the party’s policy for Jewish residents, particularly those who identify as Zionists or support Israel.

“As proud supporters of Israel, should our members now expect to be formally discriminated against from their Green cllrs?” it asks.

“Do we actually have fair representation from our ward cllrs or will they always be biased against us? Should we expect more divisive policies from this administration?”

The community also warned that Jewish residents already felt excluded from parts of Hastings’ cultural and civic life.

“Will we now be subject to even more hostility on our streets, and even greater infiltration of the town’s cultural life by the town’s many antisemites?” it asks.

“We are already excluded from much that takes place in Hastings. Should we now be expecting to be made even more unwelcome when attempting to participate in the life of the town?”

Describing the Greens’ public response to the controversy as “unintelligible wordsoup”, the organisation accused councillors of appearing to support the policy without addressing its potential consequences for Jewish residents.

It demanded a clear explanation of how the council would ensure Jewish people could participate in public life “without hostility or discrimination, with equality in status and rights to every other resident of the town”.

The letter also refers to opposition from the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council and says the Green Party has been referred to the Equality and Human Rights Commission for investigation.

The organisation said it was sending copies to councillors, police, the local MP, the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister.

It signed off: “In disgust, Hastings and District Jewish Community.”