Board of Deputies Declares the Greens a Racist Party
The Board of Deputies of British Jews has voted by 118 to one to declare that the Green Party has “by adopting an antisemitic platform, become a racist party”, and urged other parties not to make deals with it. The Green leader says he will not overturn the policy.
The Board’s president put the objection in terms of identity rather than policy: “No political party has the right to tell Jews that a central part of our identity, rooted in thousands of years of history, faith and peoplehood, is racist… It gives prejudice against Jews a political licence.” Its motion says that parties entering coalition with the Greens would be failing to take antisemitism “with the requisite seriousness”, which raises the stakes under the ultimatum Labour issued to nine councils where the Greens are partners. The Green response rejects the characterisation, denies discriminating against people who hold Zionist views, and says the decision “will not stop us from speaking out against the genocide in Gaza” — a description Israel denies. Zack Polanski, who leads the party and is himself Jewish, did not vote on the original motion and has said he will not overturn it; it stands as party policy until 2028. Labour’s national executive has not met, and no council group is reported to have answered the deadline that fell yesterday.