Labour could end council coalitions with Greens if ‘Zionism is racism’ motion stands
Labour-Green council coalitions across the country could collapse this week over a Greens motion that labelled Zionism is racism . Some Greens groups have refused an ultimatum from Labour to disown the national party motion. There are 15 councils in England where the Greens and Labour are in some kind of power-sharing arrangement. The Labour National Executive Committee has assessed each Greens response and notified local Labour groups whether they were satisfied by the response.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article never says what the motion states. It reports a Labour official saying the Greens had not recognised 'the pain that that has caused Jews', but it never tells the reader that the motion defines Zionism as an ideology supporting an ethnonationalist Jewish state in historic Palestine to the exclusion or domination of the non-Jewish population. It does not name Palestinians or Palestine at all. Without this a reader can believe the motion is about Jewish people rather than a political ideology and a state's treatment of Palestinians.
How we know
- BBC News reported“an ethnonationalist Jewish state in historic Palestine to the exclusion and/or domination of the non-Jewish population”Mayor defects from Greens after 'Zionism is racism' motion (opens in a new tab)
- On the recordA review of 15 reports on the Green Party's Zionism vote found opponents of the motion were given 5,632 words against 620 for supporters, 13 of the 15 quoted no Palestinian, and none of 22 headlines named Palestinians, Gaza or genocide.newscord.org (opens in a new tab)
In the case of Sheffield, where the Greens and Labour are in coalition, “the response has been lacking. Therefore there are consequences to that,” a Labour official in the city said, adding that the group would decide what happens to the coalition in the coming days. The Greens in Sheffield had released a statement acknowledging the motion had caused “concern” and saying they “believe Jewish people should not be persecuted”. But councillor Angela Argenzio followed that by saying: “If Labour chooses to destabilise Sheffield City Council over this, Labour owns the consequences.”
“They haven’t even recognised the pain that that has caused Jews in Britain or in Sheffield,” the official added, indicating that the break-up of the coalition was likely at a full meeting of the council on Wednesday. The NEC will make a formal announcement on Monday, the official said, after a deadline for Greens to respond to their request passed last Sunday. Reform UK, sensing that the collapse of some coalitions may open some councils to their control, have called for Labour to act on their threat.
Related articles: Government defends Palestine Action ban ahead of legal case Police commissioner demands answers over Luke Campbell ‘cyberflashing’ claims In Lewes, the power-sharing arrangement between Labour and Greens came to an end by mutual agreement, district council leader Zoe Nicholson, a Green, said on Friday. The Green group had written to Labour saying it did not agree with the national party’s Zionism motion. Despite this, Nicholson said in a Facebook post: “Given the national context, the unnecessary pressures from outside of the council, it was not possible to continue our very successful local partnership.”
The Labour leader in Lewes, Chris Collier, had resigned from the party to sit as an independent after Labour sent its letter to the Greens. Photograph by Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images Labour Politics Antisemitism Green Party Local government
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