Labour MPs have asked Sussex Police and the Equality and Human Rights Commission to examine events at the Green Party conference after delegates adopted a motion declaring Zionism to be racism.
A letter to police, led by Mike Tapp and Mark Sewards, asks officers to assess chants that “Zionists are not welcome here”. The MPs want police to establish who took part, whether anyone was targeted and whether the circumstances warrant a criminal investigation.
In a separate letter signed by 18 Labour MPs, the group asks the EHRC to consider whether the Greens’ new policy could lead to unlawful discrimination against Jewish members.
Their concern centres partly on the conference’s rejection of an amendment intended to protect members from pressure or disciplinary action over links to synagogues and Jewish organisations that identify as Zionist. The MPs argue that the decision leaves questions about how the policy will be applied.
Green members approved the motion on Sunday by 1,022 votes to 813. It establishes the party as anti-Zionist and supports a single democratic state across historic Palestine.
Green leader Zack Polanski has said he will not accept anyone being excluded because of their faith, background or connection to a religious or communal organisation. He maintains that criticism of Israel must be kept distinct from antisemitism and that the party must protect the rights of both Palestinians and Jewish communities.
The letters bring a new dimension to Labour criticism of the conference vote. They ask the police and equality watchdog to assess specific concerns; they do not establish that a criminal offence or breach of equality law has occurred. Neither authority had announced a finding on the complaints at the time of writing.
