A “notorious” antizionist told a meeting of Greens for Palestine that activists suspended for remarks about Israel were comparable to the Suffragettes, the JC can reveal.
Tony Greenstein – who was expelled from the Labour Party in 2018 for “hateful language” and recently joined the Green Party – was on Zoom with the group after a series of high-profile suspensions of candidates in the run-up to May’s local elections.
Deputy leader Mothin Ali was among the attendees at the meeting.
In 2020, the High Court threw out a libel case Greenstein brought against Campaign Against Antisemitism for describing him as a “notorious antisemite”.
At the Zoom meeting on April 26, he claimed the State of Israel was being abetted by “Zionist” Greens.
He also suggested the Jewish state was behind the crackdown on pro-Palestine activists in the UK.
During the meeting, deputy leader Ali expressed concern that the suspended activists were being treated in a manner suitable for “sex offenders”, it can also be revealed, although he later clarified he had used the phrase only “as an example”.
The JC has obtained a recording of the Greens for Palestine’s “emergency response” meeting following a series of high-profile suspensions of candidates for May’s local elections.
The incendiary remarks come after the JC last month revealed Greens for Palestine had called on Jews in the party to “liberate their minds” from the “supremacist grip of Zionism” before snubbing a request for a mediation by the group.
Greenstein was suspended by the Green party a week before the Greens for Palestine meeting over what he claimed were “spurious allegations”.
Candidates who had been suspended and were at the Zoom meeting included Mark Adderley, husband of Loose Women presenter Nadia Sawalha, after he had made comments comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and suggested that Mossad was behind the Bondi Beach terror attack.
Another was Saiqa Ali, who shared the claim that Donald Trump is “owned by Jews”, and an image of a snake with the star of David in the colours of the Israeli flag wrapping itself round the globe, with the caption “It’s time to cut the head of this snake. #FreePalestine”.
During the meeting, Ali expressed concern about the Green Party’s complaints process and claimed that those suspended had been “fast-tracked for expulsion” rather than subject to the party’s standard disciplinary procedures. Ali said: “These are supposed to be used for extreme cases where there is serious risk, so, like a sex offender for example.
“We’ve just found a sex offender in our party, therefore we have to take immediate action because that person could be a risk.” Reacting to Ali’s remarks, Greenstein said they confirmed what he had “already been told informally”, that “the aim is to expel people as quickly as possible, and if the fast track is intended for sexual abusers, child abusers, or what have you, then what we’re facing is an abusive process”.
The deputy leader rapidly interjected to say that the process wasn’t one intended for sex offenders, but he’d just used sex offenders “as an example”.
Greenstein then said that those facing accusations “shouldn’t hide away” and “shouldn’t abide by the determination that we should keep silent, because in doing so we’re actually aiding those who want to get rid of us.”
Addressing Adderley, who was suspended by the party as a candidate prior to the election, Greenstein said that as he was selected as a Green Party candidate he “should ignore any attempts to make you do it differently, because that is your position, after all, it is a no-fault suspension. You are innocent until proven guilty.”
He then compared those suspended to civil rights campaigners.
“Don’t forget, every democratic advance and right in this country has been won by people who didn’t abide by the rules, from the Suffragettes to the Chartists, and of course Palestine Action itself”, he said, before claiming that the action against the direct action group amounted to rigging the system.
Greenstein, a founder member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said pro-Palestine members faced a “battle” and accused the State of Israel of being behind the crackdown on pro-Palestine campaigners and that the Jewish state was being abetted by “Zionist” Greens.
“I think we should be clear that this is being driven by the Israeli state, and in particular the Israeli embassy in this country, and I have no doubt that Zionist Greens are in contact with them constantly,” he told the Zoom meeting.
He went on to say that antizionist Jews were being deliberately ignored across the world. “Jews are used as a moral alibi for the imperialist alliance with Israel, if we don’t fit that, then we don’t exist, and that’s especially true in Germany, where the police have actually concentrated on Jews who are not part of the reasons for state affiliation with Israel.
"So I think we should be bearing that in mind,” Greenstein told those present.
Labour MP Luke Akehurst robustly disagreed with Greenstein’s comparisons. He told the JC: “The Chartists and Suffragettes had no choice except to protest through direct action as they were fighting for democratic rights in a society where the franchise was limited to wealthy men.
“In contrast Palestine Action has every opportunity to test their ideology at the ballot box, but resort to violence because the democratically elected government doesn’t support their extreme anti-Israel stance.”
Other comments in the meeting had been previously reported, including by The Times, who noted that Ali had encouraged party members facing suspension to seek serious legal advice.
He also encouraged those facing suspension not to use any official party branding in their campaigning: “In terms of campaigning, you are not allowed to use any Green Party logo, attend any campaigning events.
"So if you are going to campaign, then you campaign with maybe just a blank Green-headed leaflet, a leaflet that has a Green banner with just your name.”
A spokesperson for the Jewish Leadership Council told the JC: “For the deputy leader of the Green Party to criticise his own party’s disciplinary process on the occasions they appear to have actually taken action against antisemitism is deeply concerning.
“Even more troubling is his engagement with disgraced former Labour Party member Tony Greenstein at a private meeting of the Greens for Palestine group where leaked recordings show Greenstein comparing the proscribed terrorist group Palestine Action to the Chartists and the Suffragettes.
“At a time when the Greens should be showing that they are serious about tackling antisemitism in their ranks, Mothin Ali risks sending precisely the opposite message.”
Commenting on their deputy leader’s remarks, a Green Party spokesperson told the JC: “The comments were part of a conversation on how people can participate in the Party’s internal procedures and a wide-ranging discussion on the history of protest bringing about change.”
A Greens for Palestine spokesperson told the JC: “Antizionism is a protected characteristic as per the Equalities Act 2010.
"We reject all attempts to conflate criticism of Zionist ideology with antisemitism, as do antizionist Jewish organisations all over the world. We would ask the JC, and its readers, to respect our beliefs and the beliefs of Anti Zionist Jews.”
Tony Greenstein said: “No evidence has been produced of any antisemitism in the Green Party. These are the same false accusations of ‘antisemitism’ which were used to undermine Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour Party and which resulted in the election of Keir Starmer.”
He went on: “I reject the idea that Palestine Action is a violent or terrorist group. The fact that they have been proscribed as such is simply an indication of the abuse of the law,” and added: “I fully support the objectives of Palestine Action.”
Regarding the claim that he is a “notorious antisemite”, Greenstein said “no-one… has ever been able to quote one single thing that I have said that is antisemitic. That is not surprising since I have been an anti-fascist activist all my life.”
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