Labour party leadership refuse to hear delegates supporting motion to acknowledge Gaza genocide

The Labour Party leadership on Monday refused to hear a single delegate who supported the motion for the party to acknowledge that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) said in a statement.

"The only delegates hand-picked to speak by the leadership-chosen chair were in support of motion 1, which is backed by the Government," the organisation said, noting that this comes despite the fact that more Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) and affiliates passed motions supporting motion 2 than supporting motion 1.

PSC called the move "blatant" and "undemocratic" and an effort from the leadership to "silence demands from trade unions and members for Labour to acknowledge Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza and calling for a full arms embargo".

The emergency motion debated by members was put forward by the public service union Unison and was seconded by the train drivers’ union Aslef.

Another separate leadership-backed motion which largely supported the government’s policy said that the UN-commissioned inquiry found only "a risk of a genocide in Gaza".

Christina McAnea, the Unison general secretary, asked all members to vote for the union-backed motion against a genocide in Gaza, and against the government-backed motion.

"This is genocide. But if we wait for this to be confirmed by a court, it will be too late, because it’s already happening as we sit here," she said during the conference.

During the conference, a pro-Palestine activist, identified as Sam P, heckled Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves during her speech.

The protester stood up ten minutes into her speech, waved a Palestinian flag and shouted, "why is Britain still arming Israel?"

He added: "Labour is complicit in the mass starvation of Palestinians".

In response, Reeves told delegates: "We understand your cause, and we are recognising a Palestinian state. But we are now a party in government, not a party of protest."

In a follow-up statement, PSC said: "The Labour leadership is clearly terrified that their complicity in Israel’s genocide is being challenged and are pulling every trick in the book to silence their own members and trade union affiliates".

The conference comes as Israel continues to pound Gaza, displacing the entire population and plunging the Strip into famine, with over 400 people having died due to starvation.

The war has killed over 66,000 Palestinians since October 2023, leading to mounting criticism levelled against Israel for obstructing vital aid from entering the Strip and bombing civilians indiscriminately.

Outside the conference on Sunday, police arrested protesters on suspicion of supporting the now proscribed group, Palestine Action.

Around 100 people silently held signs that read "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action".

A Merseyside police spokesperson told reporters: "Officers are in the process of making arrests on suspicion of wearing/carrying an article supporting a proscribed organisation."

Under the Terrorism Act, anyone that is a member, invites people to support a group or themselves support it, can be sentenced up to 14 years in prison.

Amnesty International has criticised the arrests, calling them both "ridiculous and seriously disproportionate," referring to those who quietly protest by holding signs.

The British Palestinian Committee (BPC) on Monday also published a damning report on the Labour government’s policy on Palestine over the last year, finding that it has participated in genocide by providing diplomatic and military support to Israel.

The report also said the government had entrenched dehumanisation and structural racism against Palestinians both in Palestine and in the UK.

The Labour party conference also discussed immigration, with the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood saying that migrants must earn the right to live in the UK, setting out a tougher migration policy.