British Green Party Declares Zionism Racism Sparking Political Backlash

The Green Party of the United Kingdom voted to recognize Zionism as racism during its annual conference in Brighton on Sunday. The motion, which characterizes Zionism as an ethnonationalist political project, passed with 1,022 votes in favor and 813 against. The decision faced internal opposition from several party MPs and former leader Caroline Lucas, and aligns the party with a 1975 United Nations General Assembly resolution that was repealed in 1991.

Mainstream British politicians and Jewish leaders have responded by calling for a firewall to isolate the Greens. Labour MP Luke Akehurst and other officials are urging parties to refuse all cooperation with the Greens, citing the motion as a breach of the IHRA definition of antisemitism. The controversy has halted planned cooperation in Camden and placed the Liberal Democrats under pressure to dissolve council coalitions with the Greens in Southwark and Birmingham.

Legal and regulatory actions followed the vote. Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs referred the Green Party to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Additionally, some Labour MPs requested that Sussex Police investigate whether chants at the conference constituted racial or religious hatred. Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson condemned the vote as shameful and discriminatory.