Top UK Jewish group declares Green Party racist after it rules Zionism is racism

The Board of Deputies of British Jews voted 118-1 to declare the Green Party of England and Wales racist, following the party's resolution equating Zionism with racism and calling for a Palestinian state. The Board will treat the Greens as a racist party and view cooperating parties as failing to combat antisemitism.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews voted overwhelmingly, 118-1, to declare the Green Party of England and Wales a racist party. The decision, passed at the Board's October plenary meeting on Sunday, follows the Green Party's adoption of a resolution on October 4 that equates Zionism with racism and calls for replacing Israel with a single Palestinian state. The Board said it will treat the Greens as it does other parties it considers racist, and that any party cooperating with the Greens would be seen as failing to take antisemitism seriously. Green Party leader Zack Polanski, a prominent Jewish critic of Israel, did not speak against or vote on the motion. The Board's statement said the Green Party's policy brands a central element of Jewish identity as racist and has consequences for Jewish participation in public life. The Board added it will engage with Green Party members who reject the resolution and call for its reversal. The decision comes amid broader UK efforts to combat antisemitism in institutions including schools and hospitals.