Westminster Councillors Set to Vote That Zionism Is Not Racism

Hannah Galley, a Conservative councillor in Westminster, proposed a motion alongside Labour councillor David Boothroyd that will go to the full council for a vote this Wednesday evening. The resolution declares that Zionism is not racism. It serves as a direct response to a motion adopted by the Green Party last month, which labeled Zionism as a form of racism. The Conservative Party holds a majority on the council, making the outcome of the vote a focal point for local politics.

The draft motion defines Zionism as the belief that the Jewish people have the right to national self-determination in their historic homeland. It states that this belief forms part of the Jewish identity for a majority of British Jews, while acknowledging that views on Israel and its government vary widely among Jewish people. The text asserts that support for this right to self-determination is not racist and that Jewish people are entitled to the same national rights as any other group.

The resolution also commits the council to reviewing its equality and diversity training within six months. The review aims to ensure policies remain consistent with the working definition of antisemitism provided by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, or IHRA. This definition lists claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor as an example of antisemitism. The use of this definition has become contentious recently, with the lead author of the definition stating last week that it has become poisoned and is often used to target pro-Palestinian speech.

Gary Spedding, an independent political consultant, sent a legal notice to the council this week warning that passing the motion as drafted could place the body in breach of the Equality Act of 2010. Spedding argued that the motion risks adversely impacting Palestinian, British-Palestinian, Arab, and associated Muslim residents. He noted that these groups hold protected characteristics of race, nationality, and belief under the Act. His notice claims that declaring the ideology free of discriminatory character could marginalize the lived experiences of these constituents, potentially amounting to unlawful harassment under Section 26 of the Act.

The legal notice further argues that using the IHRA definition to pre-emptively declare specific political viewpoints regarding Zionism cannot be scrutinized suppresses legitimate political discourse. It emphasizes that public bodies are required to eliminate discrimination and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not. The motion arrives during a political rift between Labour and the Green Party. Labour decided last week to stop cooperating with the Greens in 11 councils across England following the adoption of the policy that Zionism is racism.

Bridget Phillipson, the Labour chair, said the Green motion crosses a line, making it difficult to work with any party that supports it at any level of government. Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously denounced the Green motion as antisemitic, a claim the Green Party rejected. Zack Polanski, the Green leader, commented that Labour’s decision to halt cooperation would likely backfire on the party. He argued that the Green Party focuses on taxing billionaires and tackling the climate crisis, while Labour imposes support for the conflict from its local councils. The Westminster council has not yet responded to requests for comment on the motion or the legal notice.