UK Green Party Adopts Motion Declaring “Zionism Is Racism”

LONDON: The Green Party of England and Wales on Sunday formally adopted a policy stating that “Zionism is racism” after members voted for a motion at its annual conference in Brighton. The motion passed by 1,022 votes to 813.
The motion calls for Zionism to be treated “like any other form of racism.” The party cited international instruments, including the 1973 International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid and the 1998 Rome Statute. In 2024, the Greens became the first political party in England and Wales to vote to recognise the Israeli government as an “apartheid state.”
A party spokesperson said the motion expresses opposition to Zionism, described as an ethno-nationalist political project, and makes clear that anti-Zionism should not be equated with antisemitism. The spokesperson said it reaffirms the party’s commitment to Palestinian freedom, the right of return, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and a full arms embargo on Israel. The spokesperson called the Greens an “anti-racist party” and reiterated its opposition to Israel’s alleged illegal occupation of Palestinian and Syrian land.
According to The Guardian, the main motion, titled “Zionism is racism,” was pushed by a group called Greens for Palestine. The report said the group encouraged people outside the party to join so the policy could be debated and passed. The motion argues Zionism is inherently racist because it “privileges one ethnic group by subjugating others.” It states that it targets the political ideology and its practice, not the religious or ethnic background of those who consider themselves Zionists, and that not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jewish.