North London Labour leader blasts Green 'Zionism is racism' motion as 'irresponsible'

The Labour leader of a north London council has blasted has the Green Party’s controversial “Zionism is racism” motion as “irresponsible”.

Green-run Enfield Council has found itself mired in the drama from the national Green Party, as three local Green councillors confirmed they voted against it.

Former council leader Ergin Erbil, who remains leader of the Labour opposition group in Enfield, argued the motion was “irresponsible” and would “do nothing to bring about peace”.

Cllr Erbil said: “At a time when racism is on the rise across Britain, now more than ever we need our communities to stand together, against racism and all forms of hate.”

Sarah Jons, leader of Enfield Council’s five-strong Green group, says she voted against Sunday’s motion, alongside fellow councillors Laura Davenport and Madeline Church.

Cllr Jons said she was speaking “in a personal capacity, not on behalf of Enfield Greens” as she outlined her voting decision. Jons said the three councillors “respect the conference decision while retaining our right as members to disagree with policy”.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has also contacted Enfield’s two other Green councillors, Ratip Alsulaiman (Enfield Lock) and Aziz Yildiz (Ponders End), but they have not responded to requests for comment.

Acknowledging the third anniversary of the October 7 terror attack by Hamas against Israel, which killed 1,195 people, Cllr Jons added: “We recognise the grief and fear felt by Jewish communities, alongside the continuing suffering of Palestinians.”

The Green Party of England and Wales adopted the motion at its annual conference in Brighton this week, “formally establishing it as an anti-Zionist party”.

As well as defining Zionism as racism, the motion also called for a “single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine”.

Both the UK government and United Nations (UN) advocate for a two-state solution to the long-running Israel-Palestine conflict.

In a vote on Sunday, October 4, Green members attending the party’s conference passed the anti-Zionism motion - with 1,022 votes in favour and 813 against.

The move has since sparked controversy, as the Green leader in Wales Phil Davies announced his resignation from the party on Tuesday, October 6. He described the anti-Zionism motion as “idiotic”.

Zionism first emerged in the late 19th Century as a movement to create a homeland for Jewish people.

According to the Green Party, Sunday’s motion is not antisemitic as it “sets out the party’s opposition to Zionism, defined as an ethno-nationalist political project, and states that anti-Zionism should not be equated with antisemitism”.

Cllr Jons added: “We oppose antisemitism in all its forms. As pacifists and human rights advocates, we oppose the oppression and dispossession of Palestinians. We want Palestinians and Israelis to live freely, safely and with equal rights.”