Green councillor quits over Zionism row

A Green councillor in Sefton has resigned from the party after members passed a motion describing Zionism as a form of racism at the party's conference in Brighton.

Kieran Dams, 23, who has represented the Waterloo ward since May, will now sit as an independent.

He said: "I think the party is heading into a dark place".

The Green party's leader Zack Polanski has said he will not accept anyone being excluded from the Green Party "because of the religious or communal body they are part of".

The motion, which was agreed by Green Party members in a vote, has divided senior party figures. It states: "The real, material, manifestation of Zionism has been the historic and ongoing dehumanisation, displacement, dispossession, disenfranchisement and destruction of Palestinians".

It also backs a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine", which includes modern-day Israel.

It has been condemned by some Jewish groups and Israel's foreign ministry.

Dams said he did not believe that people who said they were Zionists were racists.

He said his inbox had been "flooded" by people in his local area who were concerned about the issue.

"A lot of them do care deeply about Palestine - it's something a lot of our voters have always cared about," he said.

"But now I think what people are thinking is, it's just become really extremist. It's not become a place where you can have discussion. Technically if you identify as a Zionist in the Green Party now, you are a racist. If you go to a synagogue which identifies as Zionist, you are a racist. I think the people of Waterloo, who I've spoken to, my inbox is flooded with messages, are deeply alarmed by it," he added.

Dams said he was concerned that the number of party members who took part in the vote was small compared to the overall membership. He said: "A thousand people voted for it. The Green Party has 230,000 members. That can't be right".

Because of the electoral cycle in Sefton, Dams will stand for election again in May 2027. He said "if this is the end of my political career, then so be it".

His resignation means the number of Green Party councillors in Sefton drops from three to two.

The motion has highlighted tensions between party members and activists and MPs.

Green party's leader Zack Polanski, who is himself Jewish, had called for the motion to be amended to add in protections for Jewish members and remove language referring to a "single democratic Palestinian State". Both of these amendments were defeated.

When asked for comment, the Green Party directed the BBC to this statement by Polanski: "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.

"As leader, my role is to bring people together and ensure we are all working in unity for the things we believe in and care about: freedom and safety for all... When I was elected leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, I was so proud to stand as a Jewish party leader, side by side with my deputy leaders Mothin and Rachel.

"Together, we exemplify everything this party stands for: we come from different backgrounds, faiths and traditions, but we share our deeply held values of compassion, fairness and equality for all."

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