Polanski Vows No One Will Be Excluded From Greens After Party Backs 'Zionism Is Racism' Motion

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has pledged that nobody will be shut out of his party over their faith or community ties, breaking his silence after members voted to adopt a contentious motion describing Zionism as a form of racism. In a lengthy statement released on Tuesday, the Green leader said he took seriously his duty to ensure everyone felt safe and welcome within the party, adding that he would not tolerate any exclusion or refusal to engage with anyone on the basis of the religious or communal body they belong to. The intervention marks his first public response since the motion passed at the party's conference in Brighton, having declined interview requests a day earlier.

The policy motion, brought forward by a group of activists, characterises Zionism as an ideology that backs an ethnonationalist Jewish state and calls for a single democratic Palestinian state across all of historic Palestine. Delegates endorsed it by 1,022 votes to 813. The text argues that the real and material manifestation of Zionism has been the historic and ongoing dehumanisation, displacement, dispossession, disenfranchisement and destruction of Palestinians.

Polanski, who is Jewish, used his statement to draw a firm line between antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli state, insisting the two are and must always remain completely distinct. He said his party and its leadership embodied deeply held values of compassion, fairness and equality for all. The remarks appeared designed to calm tensions on multiple fronts, addressing both Jewish members unsettled by the vote and activists who regard the motion as a legitimate expression of solidarity with Palestinians.

The fallout has been swift and wide-ranging. More than a dozen Labour MPs reported the Greens to the Equality and Human Rights Commission on Monday, arguing the motion raises serious questions about whether Jewish members can participate freely and equally in the party and whether their religious and communal connections could expose them to complaints or disciplinary action. The letters, organised by former Home Office minister Mike Tapp, also flagged amendments intended to protect Jewish members who attend Zionist synagogues which were voted down at the conference.

Separately, nine Labour MPs referred the Green Party to Sussex Police, asking the force to examine whether alleged possible antisemitic offences at the conference warrant a criminal investigation. Sussex Police and the Green Party have both been approached for comment on that referral. The dual complaints to the equality watchdog and the police escalate a dispute that had already been brewing inside and outside the party.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission, which regulates equality law in Great Britain, confirmed it would consider each complaint carefully but has not at this stage opened an investigation. It noted it publishes guidance advising political parties on their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, and that like all duty-bearers, parties must comply with the legislation and take steps to avoid discrimination. The watchdog previously found failings in how the Labour Party handled antisemitism, giving its involvement particular significance in this dispute.

Pressure has also come from beyond Britain. The European Green Party, an umbrella body that includes the Green Party of England and Wales, issued a statement on Monday saying it wanted to unequivocally distance itself from the motion. It added that it would immediately demand clarity from the party's leadership on how Jewish people and the principle of self-determination would be protected. The move signals that concern over the vote extends into the broader European green movement.

Israel's foreign ministry responded to the motion by banning Polanski from entering the country, while some Jewish groups have described it as an attack on the Jewish community. The chair of Jewish Greens has said she could leave the party over the motion, underscoring the internal strain the vote has generated among members who feel the language crosses a line.

The episode has exposed divisions between the party's newly enlarged membership base under Polanski and its MPs elected at the last general election. Polanski did not take part in Sunday's vote, and four of the party's five MPs opposed the motion. Green MP Ellie Chowns told BBC Radio 4's PM programme she was deeply saddened that the motion had become party policy, though she disagreed that it was antisemitic, describing it as underpinned by principled opposition to the actions of the Israeli government.

Chowns also suggested the party's policymaking processes needed review, pointing out that fewer than one per cent of the party's more than 200,000 members had taken part in the ballot. Her comments highlight a practical concern about how a relatively small number of conference attendees can shape positions that bind the entire party, particularly one whose membership has grown rapidly in recent years.

For Polanski, the challenge now is to reconcile the motion's supporters with members who feel targeted by its wording. His promise that no one will be made unwelcome because of their background, faith or place of worship sets a standard against which the party's handling of complaints and disciplinary matters will be judged. Whether that assurance satisfies the equality watchdog, the police, Jewish members and international green partners remains an open question.

The dispute also carries wider political implications. The Greens have positioned themselves as a growing force to the left of Labour, and the row gives their opponents an opening to question the party's internal culture. With the EHRC assessing complaints and the European Green Party seeking answers, the story is likely to remain a live test of how the Greens manage their expanding coalition of members and their relationships with Jewish communities at home and abroad.