UK Green members prepare 'Zionism is racism' motion ahead of party conference

Ahead of the UK Green Party conference in October, pro-Palestine members are preparing a motion to be heard that could officially declare the party as anti-Zionist.

The "Zionism is racism" motion seeks to define Zionism as a racist, settler‑colonial ideology and declare the party as against it.

Its key demands include supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and enforcing embargoes like those used against South Africa during apartheid, releasing Palestinian prisoners, acknowledging the right to resistance under international law, and supporting a single democratic Palestinian state with equal rights and the right of return.

"This is a historic motion that could change the face of British politics," Lubna Speitan, Palestinian activist and author of the motion, told The New Arab.

"We're not asking for something new, to acknowledge Palestinian rights to not just self-determination but to resistance by all available means, as per international law."

"This is something that's based on law, the Equality Act, international law, the Geneva Convention."

Despite facing accusations of antisemitism and being reported to anti-terrorism police, the motion received a record-breaking number of 745 co-proposers, double that of the last motion, which garnered 333.

It has also been endorsed by over fifty organisations and individuals, including Greta Thunberg and Mohammed El Kurd.

The motion is currently on the prioritisation ballot, where members can decide the order they want to see motions come forward in October.

While the motion was scheduled to be debated at the Spring Conference in March, it never reached the floor, but supporters hope it will not only be heard but also passed.

"I think that should this motion pass, it will have ripple effects in sort of British and international politics," Tariq Khawaja, member of the Green Party and one of the backers of the motion, told The New Arab. "[The motion] already has achieved what we set out to achieve."

"It has changed the conversation. There are people now who are talking and questioning about Zionism in a way that they weren't doing a year ago; there are signs that we're seeing on protests that weren't there a year ago."

Speitan and Khawaja highlight that the Green Party is the first UK political party to acknowledge that Israel is an apartheid state committing genocide.

"This is basic stuff. For a UK political party to be the first political party to call for equality amongst Palestinians in Palestine, and also to call for liberation of Palestinians, but also to call for justice and reparations," Khawaja said.

"We have a responsibility as the arbiters of empire and imperialism to be a voice for those that don't have one."

Khawaja also noted that they are in discussions with supporters worldwide in other political parties, hoping the motion will pass internationally as well.

Following the appointment of Zack Polanski as leader of the Greens, the party has seen a surge in support from voters concerned about Palestine, reflected in recent elections and polling.