Story perspectives

Green Party adopts Zionism-as-racism motion, sparks backlash

By Drooid · Oct 14, 2026, 10:33 PM UTC · How we work

Center

Accusation of Antisemitism

The Green Party of England and Wales adopted a motion defining Zionism as racism at its Brighton conference on 4 October 2026.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham condemned the motion as antisemitic during Prime Minister’s Questions and said Labour would not form a national partnership with the Greens.
Zack Polanski defended the motion, claiming Palestinian displacement stems from racist ideology.
The motion passed 1,022-813 votes, representing about 0.4% of the party’s 230,000 members.

Left

Internal Party Debate

The Green Party of England and Wales adopted a motion defining Zionism as racism at its Brighton conference on 4 October 2026.
The decision sparked internal debate about the party’s democratic procedures and concerns for member safety.
Four of the party’s five MPs and former leader Caroline Lucas publicly opposed the motion.
Leader Zack Polanski, who did not vote, proposed rule reforms granting the leader policy control.

Blindspot

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the Green Party’s motion defining Zionism as racism is antisemitic and announced that Labour will not pursue a national partnership with the Greens while the policy remains.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Left-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

In 1975 the UN General Assembly, supported by the Arab League and African states, adopted Resolution 3379 declaring Zionism a form of racism (72-35-32 vote). It was repealed on 16 December 1991 by Resolution 46/86 (111-25-13) to enable Israel’s participation in the Madrid conference. The UK Green Party’s similar motion today has drawn criticism from Prime Minister Andy Burnham, reviving the old UN dispute.

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Accusation of Antisemitism

The Green Party of England and Wales adopted a motion defining Zionism as racism at its Brighton conference on 4 October 2026.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham condemned the motion as antisemitic during Prime Minister’s Questions and said Labour would not form a national partnership with the Greens.
Zack Polanski defended the motion, claiming Palestinian displacement stems from racist ideology.
The motion passed 1,022-813 votes, representing about 0.4% of the party’s 230,000 members.

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