Young Greens elect anti-Zionist co-chairs and scrap IHRA antisemitism definition

The Young Greens have elected two anti-Zionist co-chairs and voted to replace the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, in a move likely to deepen concern within Britain’s Jewish community over the direction of the Green Party.

Delegates at the Young Greens’ national convention elected Jo Dowbor, a founder of the Greens for Palestine campaign group, and Cynthia (Cyn) Muthoni as co-chairs of the party’s youth wing.

After their election, both shared an Instagram post from the Greens for Palestine account describing them as the Young Greens’ new “anti zionist co chairs”.

The leadership result is significant because the Young Greens have frequently shaped the wider party’s policy. Members under 30 now make up more than a quarter of the Green Party’s membership, and several positions first adopted by the youth wing have later been endorsed nationally.

Dowbor previously helped establish Greens for Palestine, the group behind the controversial Green Party spring conference motion from earlier this year declaring that “Zionism is racism”. The motion was not heard at that conference, but is likely to be debated at the party’s annual conference this Autumn.

Dowbor also led a Young Greens motion in 2024 describing the war in Gaza as a genocide and backing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. Both positions were later adopted by the national Green Party.

Her campaign was endorsed by Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali, who praised her work “as an anti-imperialist”.

During the same convention, members also backed a motion proposed by Dowbor to replace the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, which the Young Greens adopted in 2020.

Introducing the proposal, Dowbor said she had drafted it “in collaboration with anti-Zionist Jewish Greens”, arguing it provided “a framework that protects both Jewish members and those involved in the Palestine movement.”

The new guidance states: “Antisemitism is a serious form of racism that must be actively identified, challenged, and addressed within the Young Greens and the wider Green movement.”

However, it rejects the IHRA’s approach to Israel-related antisemitism, stating: “Antisemitism and political opposition to the state of Israel or the ideology of Zionism are not the same thing and must not be conflated. Conflating them does not protect Jewish people – it suppresses legitimate political speech and is used to shield Israeli government policies from accountability.”

The guidance says holding Jewish people collectively responsible for the actions of the Israeli government is antisemitic. It also says that “Drawing comparisons between Israeli policies and historical examples of oppression, where this is done as political analysis and not as an expression of hatred toward Jewish people as a group” should not be regarded as antisemitic.

That differs from the IHRA definition, which lists “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” as an example that could amount to antisemitism, depending on the context.

The Young Greens’ new guidance also omits any reference to Islamist antisemitism, instead describing antisemitism as stemming from “far-right and white nationalist movements”.

It further argues that the Young Greens’ adoption of the IHRA definition in 2020 “raises questions about whether the guidance was designed primarily to provide clear practical guidance or to perform a political position”.

The motion also criticises references in the original guidance to lawyer Anthony Julius and the late Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, claiming: “Both are committed Zionists making political arguments, not providing neutral analytical guidance.”

The IHRA working definition is used by the UK Government, many local authorities, universities and numerous public bodies, and has been widely adopted by Jewish communal organisations as the principal framework for identifying contemporary antisemitism.

Jewish News has contacted the Green Party for comment.