BOARD OF DEPUTIES DECLARES GREEN PARTY RACIST OVER ZIONISM POLICY

The Board of Deputies of British Jews passed a motion on Sunday declaring the Green Party of England and Wales a racist party. The vote was 118 to one. The Board objected to a “Zionism is racism” policy motion that the Greens passed at their conference earlier this month. Board president Phil Rosenberg said: “By adopting an antisemitic platform, the Green Party of England and Wales has become a racist party.” A Green Party spokesman said the party “rejects the Board of Deputies’ characterisation of this motion”.

Rosenberg said the policy described a central part of Jewish identity as racist and applied that description to synagogues and communal organisations. He called on the Green Party’s leadership to reverse the policy. The Greens said they do not discriminate against people who hold Zionist views. Rosenberg also acknowledged Green Party members who had opposed the conference motion, including Jewish members.

The Board’s motion urged other parties to avoid deals with the Greens unless they reject the policy. It said local or national coalition agreements would fail to take antisemitism seriously unless Green leaders involved had rejected the policy and committed to overturning it. Labour has told local Green groups with which it governs in coalition to disown the conference motion or lose Labour’s support. The dispute therefore also affects existing local arrangements between the two parties.