Greenwich councillors unite to reject Green Party’s ‘Zionism is racism’ stance

Résumé détaillé

Labour, Conservatives and Greens backed a council motion after Jewish residents described antisemitism amid a controversial Green Party policy

Greenwich councillors unanimously backed a motion rejecting the Green Party's controversial "Zionism is racism" stance after hearing emotional testimony from local Jewish residents about antisemitism.

The cross-party motion, proposed by Labourn-run council leader Anthony Okereke and seconded by Conservative leader Charlie Davis, was approved at a full council meeting on Wednesday night.

The debate heard contributions from members of the borough's Jewish community, including Michelle Brooks-Evans, chair of Bromley Reform Synagogue, who described incidents of antisemitic abuse experienced by her children and warned that many Jewish residents no longer felt the same sense of safety and belonging.

The motion agreed with a statement from the Greenwich Multi-Faith Forum that said, in part: “We do not agree with this [Green Party] motion and are concerned that it risks deepening division and undermining the sense of safety and belonging of Jewish people.”

Ms Brooks-Evans described recent acts of antisemitism experienced by her family, saying one of her daughters recently had swastikas drawn on her school books, and her son had been called a “baby-killer who should have died in a gas chamber” while at university.

She said: “I’ve always believed this is a place where people of different faiths and backgrounds can live together with mutual respect and understanding. But today, that sense of safety and belonging is being eroded.”

While Michelle was speaking, someone sitting in the public gallery displayed a sheet of paper stating: “I live in Greenwich. I am Jewish. I believe Zionism is racism”. The sign was quickly confiscated by council officers.

Rabbi Ephraim Carlebach from Greenwich & Docklands Chabad called upon the people of the borough to stand up against racism and hatred in all its forms. He said words “can divide and make problems” but also have the ability to “unite and inspire people”.

While both Michelle and the rabbi were speaking, Palestine activists in the public…

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