Over 1,000 people descended upon Brighton this weekend for the annual Green Party Conference, which some attendees and observers later described as ‘chaotic’. On Sunday, the last day of the conference, the motion titled ‘Zionism is Racism’ dominated headlines, with the timing of the weekend adding to the perceived frantic atmosphere of the conference.
The Holborn and St Pancras by-election was scheduled for 8 October, after the Green Party had committed to their annual summit at the Brighton Centre for 2-4 October. Leader of the Green Party Zack Polanski then announced his intention to stand in the by-election. He had previously turned down the opportunity to stand in Gorton and Denton earlier this year, due to wanting to run in a London close to his residence. This then led to scheduling conflicts with campaign obligations in North London and policy debates in Brighton – prompting debate among members and senior figures about priorities during the conference.
The Greens offered attendees the opportunity to refund their ticket to the conference in order to support Polanski, as well as being given the option to vote for motions online. However, Polanski did make one appearance during the conference, delivering the opening speech of the weekend on Friday.
His first topic, which he says is a major talking point on the doorstep, was housing. Speaking to a lively auditorium, Polanski said “[more] Greens elected means more homes built. More people getting their foot on the housing ladder for the first time”. As well as calling for greater affordable housing construction, he also touched on rents.
“I’m calling on this government to put in place a three year emergency brake on private rents.
No rent rises above CPI, wage growth or 2% – whichever is lower. No sudden hikes. No evictions under the guise of rent rises. No more uncertainty, no more fear.”
Later, he would put out a simple message following further arrests made outside of the recent Labour Party Conference of those protesting for Gaza with the words ‘Palestine Action’ on their signs – which is currently a proscribed organisation under UK law. “Drop the charges. End the genocide. Deproscribe Palestine Action.” affirmed Polanski.
Addressing the wildfires and severe temperatures experienced this summer, he highlighted that the Green Party is still ‘very much green’. “We know that drilling for new fossil fuels won’t bring down bills. We know it won’t make us more secure. And we know that it locks us into a hotter, more dangerous climate […] No more fossil fuel extraction – and a clean energy revolution, now. That means every single home transformed to highest energy efficiency. To keep us cool in summer, to keep us warm in winter – and to keep our bills down […] [It] means a massive expansion of community energy. So our power is cheap, our power is clean – and our power is in our hands.”
Polanski closed his speech with a message to the electorate, suggesting that you could “Vote Green and watch Labour move”. He argued that Greens’ pressure on the government to discuss both climate change and actions to be taken in regard to Palestine was successful. This follows Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announcing sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
In conversation with Brighton Pavilion Green MP Siân Berry, she told The Badger that, “[we] need to make the most of that shift to keep them there, to keep them in that space, push them harder, make sure what they implement is what we need […] I think we’ll keep winning votes by doing that […] I think we’ll grow the progressive space for people to vote in by getting involved in arguments”.
On Saturday, members entering the conference met dozens of pro-Israeli protestors outside the building to oppose the scheduled motion ‘Zionism is Racism’. According to a report by Middle East Eye, chants including “terrorist supporters off our streets” and “there is no Palestine” were heard.
Before voting began, Green MPs announced their opposition to the motion – including Caroline Lucas, Siân Berry, Ellie Chowns, Carla Denyer, and Adrian Ramsay. Deputy Leader Mothin Ali stood alone in his support for the motion amongst senior party figures. The main concerns of the opposition was that the definition of ‘zionism’ was not universal amongst the Jewish diaspora, and the labelling of almost two thirds of British Jews (according to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research) as racist, due to their self-identification as zionists, would alienate certain members from the party. Another criticism was that the motion also made backing a ‘single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine’ official party policy – which critics argued amounted to support for a one-state solution. Supporters of the motion described it as a first for a major British political party.
On Sunday, the final day of conference, the tabling of the motion began. After a prolonged count, the result was announced as a pass by 1022 votes to 813 (56% for and 44% against). Members in support of the motion began shouting and chanting in celebration, including members of ‘Greens4Palestine’ – who later gave a briefing to the press.
Journalists asked whether critics were correct in arguing that the motion could be interpreted as classifying self-identified Zionists as racist, and whether they would therefore be unwelcome in the party. Members rejected this.
It was reported that some opponents to the motion were ‘seen in tears’ after the result, with the chair of Jewish Greens Vivien Lichtenstein, in conversation with the BBC, saying she was ‘considering her future in the party’.
At the close of the conference, senior party figures, including Polanski, released a joint statement. It affirmed that “[as] Greens, we will always uphold universal human rights. We will never tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. We will continue to stand in opposition to the genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and the illegal occupation. We will continue to call out the heinous crimes of the Netanyahu government. And we will continue to work to ensure the Green Party is an anti-racist party in every way. We know there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people”.
This ‘hectic’ conference and groundbreaking motion will no doubt create conversation, with Polanski’s potential route to Parliament now involving wide debate of this policy. The Holborn and St Pancras by-election result is expected to be announced after polls close on 8 October.