Polanski Vows No One Will Be Excluded from Greens After 'Zionism Is Racism' Vote Sparks Backlash

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has pledged that nobody will be shut out of his party on the basis of their faith or community affiliations, issuing his first public response to a contentious conference motion that has thrust the party into a fierce internal and external row.

In a lengthy statement released on Tuesday, Polanski said he took seriously his duty to ensure the party remained a safe and welcoming space for all members. He stressed that he would not tolerate any exclusion of individuals or any refusal to engage with them because of the religious or communal groups to which they belong, framing the commitment as central to the values he believes the Greens represent.

The controversy stems from a policy motion approved at the party's conference in Brighton on Sunday, which declares Zionism a form of racism and calls for a single democratic Palestinian state across all of historic Palestine. The measure, put forward by a group of activists, passed by 1,022 votes to 813, and has since triggered a wave of criticism from within and beyond the party.

The text of the motion asserts that Zionism is an ideology supporting what it describes as an ethnonationalist Jewish state, and 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, did not participate in Sunday's vote. In his statement, he emphasised that antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli state are, and must always remain, entirely separate matters, seeking to draw a clear line between opposition to Israeli government policy and hostility towards Jewish people. He added that his party and its leadership are guided by deeply held values of compassion, fairness and equality for everyone.

The Green leader's comments follow a concerted pushback from Labour MPs, who have escalated the dispute on two fronts. More than a dozen Labour MPs reported the Greens to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on Monday, arguing that the motion raises serious questions about whether Jewish members can participate freely and equally in the party. The letter to the watchdog, coordinated by former Home Office minister Mike Tapp, also highlighted amendments designed to protect Jewish members who attend Zionist synagogues that were voted down at the conference. The MPs warned that, taken together, these developments could expose Jewish members' religious and communal connections to complaints or disciplinary action.

The EHRC, which regulates equality law in Great Britain and has previously identified failings in how the Labour Party handled antisemitism, told the BBC it would consider each complaint carefully but had not opened an investigation at this stage. The commission noted that it provides guidance to political parties on their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, and that all duty-bearers, including parties, must comply with the law and take steps to prevent discrimination.

Separately, nine Labour MPs have referred the Green Party to Sussex Police, asking the force to investigate whether alleged possible antisemitic offences at the conference warrant a criminal investigation. Both Sussex Police and the Green Party have been contacted for comment on that referral.

The row has also reverberated internationally. Israel's foreign ministry responded to the motion by barring Polanski from entering the country, a significant diplomatic rebuke aimed at the Green leader personally. Several Jewish groups have condemned the motion as an attack on the Jewish community, deepening concerns about the party's relationship with Jewish voters and members.

Further pressure came from the European Green Party, the umbrella organisation to which the Green Party of England and Wales belongs. On Monday, the European Greens said they wanted to unequivocally distance themselves from the motion and would immediately demand clarity from the party's leadership on how it intends to protect Jewish people and uphold self-determination. The intervention marks a rare public rebuke from the wider Green family and signals that the fallout extends well beyond British shores.

The episode has laid bare divisions between the party's rapidly expanded membership under Polanski's leadership and its small parliamentary team. Four of the party's five MPs opposed the motion, reflecting a sharp split between the activist base that drives conference policy and the elected representatives who must defend it in Parliament.

Green MP Ellie Chowns told BBC Radio 4's PM programme that she was deeply saddened the motion had become party policy, though she rejected the suggestion that it was antisemitic. She described it as underpinned by principled opposition to the actions of the Israeli government. Chowns also suggested that the party's policymaking processes may need review, pointing out that fewer than one per cent of the party's more than 200,000 members had taken part in the vote.

The dispute raises broader questions about how political parties balance grassroots democracy with the protection of minority members, and about where legitimate criticism of Israel ends and antisemitism begins. With the EHRC assessing complaints, police asked to examine allegations, and the European Greens demanding answers, the pressure on Polanski's leadership shows no sign of easing. For now, the Green leader is attempting to hold together a party whose membership and parliamentary wing appear increasingly at odds over one of the most charged issues in British politics.