Scottish Green leader calls Zionism racism, sparking party-wide controversy
Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer said Zionism is racism and called Israel’s creation an act of ethnic cleansing, triggering backlash after the English and Welsh Greens adopted a similar motion.
Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer said that Zionism is racist and that the establishment of Israel amounted to ethnic cleansing, insisting all peoples should enjoy equal legal rights. His comments align with a motion adopted by the Green Party of England and Wales, which declared the party anti-Zionist and treated Zionism as a form of racism, also endorsing a single democratic Palestinian state across historic Palestine.
The motion has been supported by some Jewish members but provoked condemnation from Jewish organisations, Labour MPs who reported the party to police, and Scottish leaders such as former First Minister Humza Yousaf and current First Minister Swinney, who argued the debate distracts from Israeli government actions. Green leader Zack Polanski, himself Jewish, said criticism of Israel must be separate from antisemitism and pledged an inclusive party. The controversy highlights deep divisions within Green politics over how to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Why it matters
The debate over labeling Zionism as racism is reshaping party politics and influencing broader discussions on antisemitism and Middle-East policy.
How this story developed
- Sep 22 Green Party leader clashes with pro-Palestinian motion calling for Israel's dissolution
- Oct 2 Polanski publicly declared an anti‑Zionist stance at a hustings event.
- Oct 4 The conference established a locked safe room for Jewish participants amid the Zionism debate.
- Oct 4 The motion passed with 1,022 votes for and 813 against, adopting language that labels Zionism as racism and endorses a single democratic Palestinian state throughout historic Palestine.
- Oct 5 Israel’s foreign ministry announced a ban on Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering Israel.
- Oct 5 Labour MP Emily Thornberry called on Britain to defy Israel’s directive to close its consulate in East Jerusalem, calling the move illegal retaliation.
- Oct 6 Powell’s talks concluded without an agreement before the 30‑day deadline.
In this story
Related stories
22 in this thread