Wealden Liberal Democrats say national Green party policy risks ‘fuelling’ intimidation faced by Jewish community

The controversial policy was announced at the Greens’ 2026 conference and at greenparty.org.uk.

The national Green Party said the motion sets out its ‘opposition to Zionism’, which it defines as ‘an ethnonationalist political project’.

It added that anti-Zionism ‘should not be equated with antisemitism’, saying the Green Party is ‘an anti-racist party’ that is opposed to the ‘occupation of both Palestinian and Syrian land’.

On Friday, October 23, the Wealden Liberal Democrats issued a statement about the issue.

A spokesperson said: “The Liberal Democrats Group on Wealden District Council are very concerned by, and do not agree with, the motion on Zionism passed by the Green Party at their recent conference. We believe that it risks fuelling the violence and intimidation faced by the Jewish community and that Jewish residents in our district may be feeling distressed and less safe as a result.

“As Liberal Democrats, we are committed to addressing the unacceptable rise in antisemitism in our country and will speak out against any signs of antisemitism, Islamophobia and any other type of hatred in Wealden. We do not support policies or rhetoric that risk conflating members of our community with extreme political factions.”

The Wealden Lib Dems also said the national Green party motion expressly ‘undermines a two-state solution’, which it said ‘has the best chance of bringing a lasting peace in Israel and Palestine’.

Since the national Green party made its announcement, the Wealden Green Party has posted an open letter at wealden.greenparty.org.uk confirming that it does not support the policy. The Wealden Greens’ letter said: “To be clear, our Green Group does not support the ‘Zionism is Racism’ policy.”

The Wealden Greens acknowledged that the word ‘Zionism’ can mean different things to different people and that the national Greens’ motion ‘presented one particular definition’ of it. They said: “The policy also calls for a single state solution, but we believe that it is for Palestinians and Israelis to determine their own peaceful future.”

The letter added that that the Green Party ‘stands firmly against antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of racism and hatred’.

Following the national Green party’s announcement of its ‘opposition to Zionism’ policy, Labour Prime Minister Andy Burnham condemned it as ‘antisemitic’. The national Labour party went on to say it would end power-sharing agreements with Greens on local councils unless Green councillors rejected the policy that calls Zionism a form of racism.

The Wealden Lib Dems have confirmed that their national party is asking local representatives to urge Green colleagues to reject the policy. But they said the national Lib Dem party has not directed them to end any arrangements.

The Wealden Lib Dems’ said: “Our Green councillor colleagues in Wealden have said that they do not support the motion and that those of them present at the conference voted against it. They have said, and we are sure, that they are as committed as we are to ensuring our actions on the Council keep Wealden an inclusive, safe, and welcoming place for everyone.

“The Wealden Liberal Democrats Group are focused on delivering for local residents on things, which lie within the Council’s remit. That is what the Alliance for Wealden was formed to do. Alliance members, comprising Liberal Democrats, Greens, Labour and one Independent, have unanimously agreed a strategy aimed at making Wealden a great place to live, work and visit – greener, fairer and kinder. We have jointly been delivering on that very successfully for the last three and a half years.

“Working with people across our community, we will stay focused on delivering for businesses and residents by providing the services they need and investing in the district. We will not be diverted from this by getting involved in an argument which, though important, is not relevant to the Council’s affairs.”

Wealden Green Party has also been approached for comment directly.