The controversy has also reverberated across continental Europe, straining the Green Party’s international alliances. The European Green Party, an umbrella organization of which the Green Party of England and Wales is a member, took the unusual step of publicly reprimanding its British counterpart. In a statement released on Monday, the European body sought to unequivocally distance itself from the motion passed in Brighton.
The European Green Party expressed deep concern over the developments, stating that it would immediately demand clarity from the leadership of the England and Wales Green Party. Specifically, the continental organization wants assurances on how the UK leadership plans to protect Jewish people within its ranks and how it intends to uphold the fundamental principle of self-determination, which critics argue the Brighton motion undermines.
Amidst the mounting criticism, some senior figures within the domestic party have sought to defend the underlying intent of the motion while acknowledging the damage caused by the controversy. Ellie Chowns, one of the five newly elected Green MPs, spoke to BBC Radio 4’s PM programme to share her perspective on the crisis. Chowns admitted to being deeply saddened that the highly divisive motion had successfully become official party policy.
Despite her sadness over the outcome, Chowns disagreed with the characterization of the motion as inherently antisemitic. She argued that the policy was not driven by prejudice against Jewish people, but was instead underpinned by a principled opposition to the actions of the Israeli government. This distinction is central to the defense mounted by many of the motion’s supporters, who argue that criticism of Zionism and the state of Israel should not be conflated with antisemitism.
However, Chowns also used her interview to highlight a structural issue within the Green Party’s democratic processes, suggesting that the current system is vulnerable to being dominated by small, highly organized factions of activists. She pointed out that the vote in Brighton was decided by a tiny fraction of the party’s overall membership. With the Green Party now boasting more than 200,000 members nationwide, Chowns noted that less than 1% of this membership base had actually participated in the conference vote.
To address this democratic imbalance, Chowns suggested that a comprehensive review of the Green Party’s policymaking processes is urgently needed. As the party transitions from a minor protest movement into a significant parliamentary force with five MPs, critics and internal reformers alike argue that allowing a small number of conference delegates to pass highly sensitive and nationally significant foreign policy motions risks alienating the wider membership and the broader electorate.
The double pressure of a police referral and a potential EHRC investigation, combined with diplomatic bans and international condemnation from sister parties, has placed the Green Party leadership in an exceptionally difficult position. As Zack Polanski and his parliamentary colleagues attempt to manage the fallout, the party faces a critical test of its maturity and its ability to maintain a cohesive national platform. With Sussex Police and the Green Party leadership yet to issue further updates, the political establishment continues to watch closely how the newly expanded party will navigate this profound internal and external crisis.
