Green Party splits deepen as Polanski urged to apologise over handling of ‘Zionism is racism’ motion

The Green Party is facing further divisions within its ranks over the leadership’s handling of the fallout in the wake of its ‘zionism is racism’ conference motion.

Senior members of the party, including former leader Caroline Lucas, have criticised the motion, while leader Zack Polanski said he would not have voted for it had he been present.

In what represents further splits within the party, senior members now face calls to apologise for comments made after the vote.

Hamza Egal, convenor of the Greens’ racism policy working group and a member of the party’s Standing Orders Committee, has written to the party’s CEO as well as Mr Polanski to warn them that they have “badly misjudged the membership” of the party.

He said the leadership “owes members an apology”, adding: “Disagreement is part of democracy. Treating members as political suspects is not. We are not peasants waiting for an audience with political superiors.”

The letter specifically questions the idea that the party has been “infiltrated” by pro-Palestine members.

It references comments made by Ellie Chowns, who said she wants to make sure the party is not “vulnerable to capture by extremists and racists”, and Caroline Lucas who suggested there had been “entryism”, in which activists joined the Greens solely to back the motion.

“The leadership owes members an apology,” the letter states.

“Members who exercised their democratic rights, Palestinian, Muslim and Global Majority members above all, have been cast as entryists and extremists in the national press by people who hold positions of trust in this Party.

“An apology would not end the disagreement over the motion. It would recognise that disagreement is not disloyalty and that racialised members are not suspects in their own party.”

In response to Mr Polanski’s suggestion that he could give more power to leaders to set the party’s direction following the vote, Mr Egal said: “A leadership that failed to resolve a known dispute, publicly criticised the result and now seeks more authority should expect serious resistance.

“A failure of leadership is not an argument for more leadership power.”

The letter adds: “Disagreement is part of democracy. Treating members as political suspects is not.

“We are not peasants waiting for an audience with political superiors. We are here to free ourselves from the establishment, not to fight for a seat at its table.

“Our members are not infiltrators. They are the Green Party. And anyone who believes the future of this Party can be decided over their heads has badly misunderstood its membership.”

Over the weekend, Mr Polanski insisted his party’s motion describing zionism as racism “isn’t controversial” and he said he won’t attempt to amend it until 2028.

Mr Polanski has faced both internal and external criticism of his leadership after the Green Party conference in Brighton backed a motion describing Zionism as “racism”.

Mr Polanski called for amendments to the motion to be made prior to the vote, which were rejected by members of the party.

The motion passed at the Green Party’s Brighton conference, with about 1,000 members voting in favour and some 800 against.

The Independent has contacted the Green Party for a comment.