I won't accept exclusion, says Polanski after backlash to Zionism motion

Green Party leader Zack Polanski did not take part in the vote on Sunday

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", after members adopted a motion declaring Zionism a form of racism.

The motion defines Zionism as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish state" and backs a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine".

Tensions exposed among Greens by 'Zionism is racism' conference votePublished10 hours ago

Nine Labour MPs have also referred the Green Party to Sussex Police, asking the force to investigate whether alleged "possible antisemitic offences" at the conference merit a criminal investigation.

It is the latest development in a backlash to the policy motion, which was put forward by a group of activists at the party's conference in Brighton and endorsed by 1,022 votes to 813.

The motion has exposed divisions between the party's newly enlarged membership base under leader Zack Polanski and its MPs elected at the last general election.

Israel's foreign ministry responded by banning Polanski from entering the country, while some Jewish groups have described it as an "attack on the Jewish community".

He added: "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."

Polanski, who is Jewish, added that "antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli state are, and must always be, completely distinct".

On Monday, a group of Labour MPs wrote two letters to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) - organised by former Home Office minister Mike Tapp - raising concerns about the motion, and amendments to protect Jewish members attending Zionist synagogues being voted down.

The EHRC, which regulates equality law in Great Britain, previously found failings in how Labour handled antisemitism.