More than a dozen Labour MPs have reported the Green Party to Sussex Police and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) over potential incidents of anti-Jewish hatred at its conference last weekend.
The Labour MPs, led by former Home Office minister Mike Tapp and Labour Friends of Israel chair Mark Sewards, have asked the force to assess whether chants of “say it loud, say it clear, Zionists are not welcome here” could constitute racial or religious hatred under the Public Order Act.
They asked the police to establish who participated in the chants, whether individuals were directly targeted and the wider circumstances surrounding the incident.
The parliamentarians also submitted a complaint to the EHRC raising concern that the party’s new policy stating “Zionism is racism” could unlawfully discriminate against its Jewish members.
The MPs were particularly concerned about the policy after party members rejected an amendment designed to protect Jews affiliated with synagogues and organisations that describe themselves as Zionist.
Human rights barrister Adam Wagner has warned that the “Zionism is racism” policy could breach the Equality Act 2010 because risked discriminating against people who hold Zionist beliefs and Jewish people more broadly.
The EHRC complaint was signed by 18 Labour MPs, including Tapp and Sewards, as well as several MPs first elected in 2024.
The passing of the controversial motion prompted Sandy Ruthven, chair of Amnesty International, to announce his resignation from the Green Party yesterday.
Ruthven said the party had failed to confront prejudice and increasingly sought support from the hard left.
The Green Party claimed late on Monday, the day after the motion had passed, that it would “not accept any exclusion” of people based on religion.
Green leader Zack Polanski said a movement for justice had to “protect both the rights of Palestinians and our Jewish communities” and insisted he wanted everyone to feel “safe and welcome” in the party.
Polanski said: “Antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli state are, and must always be, completely distinct – blurring the line between the two is not only wrong but antisemitic, and makes Jewish people less safe.
“It’s our role as a movement for justice to protect both the rights of Palestinians and our Jewish communities here in the UK.
“As leader, I will not accept any exclusion, or refusal to engage with anyone, because of the religious or communal body they are part of.
“I take seriously my responsibility to make sure everyone feels safe and welcome in our party. Under my leadership, no-one will be made unwelcome because of their background, their faith, or where they worship.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the Greens had become “an extremist party”, while Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis condemned the motion as “poisonous antisemitism” and a “threat to British Jews and to Britain”.
Labour Party chair Bridget Phillipson described the decision as “fundamentally wrong”.
The Conservatives said it showed the Green Party was “toxic to its core”.
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.