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Green Party member behind Zionism motion receives death threats

Lubna Speitan says she has reported dozens of threatening messages to police since the motion declaring Zionism a form of racism passed at the party's conference.

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
The British-Palestinian Green Party member who authored the motion declaring Zionism a form of racism says she has received death and rape threats since the measure passed at the party's conference earlier this month. Lubna Speitan told Al Jazeera she has reported dozens of threatening social media messages and emails to the police.

The motion, passed by 1,022 votes to 813 at the Green Party of England and Wales conference in Brighton, defines Zionism as "an ethnonationalist settler-colonial project" and supports the establishment of a single democratic state in historic Palestine. It has drawn sharp criticism from other British political parties.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out partnering with the Greens, calling the motion "wrong" and "anti-Semitic". Several of the party's own left-wing MPs have also criticised the move.

Speitan said the threats were "anticipated" and that she believes they are a form of "intimidation" from pro-Israel agitators. While "no one wants to be on the receiving end of death threats", she said it is "necessary to confront these evils".

Speitan said 56 members of her family have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza three years ago. She rejected accusations of anti-Semitism, stating the motion "targets an ideology: Zionism" and recognises that "not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews".

Recent media reports have claimed Speitan was "friends" with an "al-Qaeda terrorist" after she reportedly offered to testify in defence of a UK citizen who planned an attack at Heathrow Airport. Speitan described this as a "tactic of guilt by association" that she would not dignify with a response.

The Green Party told Al Jazeera that Speitan holds no party positions "other than being a member" and that it takes all allegations of this nature seriously.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The threats against Speitan highlight the risks faced by activists involved in polarising political debates, particularly those relating to Israel-Palestine.
  • The motion has created deep internal divisions within the Green Party and prompted the Prime Minister to rule out any future partnership, potentially affecting the party's political influence.
  • The controversy raises broader questions about the boundaries between legitimate political speech on Zionism and anti-Semitism.

Background

The Green Party of England and Wales passed the "Zionism is racism" motion at its annual conference in Brighton earlier this month. The motion argues that Zionism, the belief that Jews have a historic claim to Palestine, is predicated on the dispossession and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. It has been condemned by all major British political parties and has sparked internal turmoil within the Greens.

Key Perspectives

[Motion supporters, including Lubna Speitan]: Argue the motion targets an ideology, not Jewish people, and is a legitimate critique of a settler-colonial project. They maintain that anti-Zionism should not be equated with anti-Semitism and that the threats against Speitan are an attempt to silence dissent. [Critics, including Prime Minister Andy Burnham and some Green MPs]: View the motion as anti-Semitic and harmful to community relations. Burnham has called it "wrong" and used it to rule out any coalition or cooperation with the Greens. [The Green Party leadership]: Has not endorsed the motion but says it takes allegations against members seriously. The party noted Speitan is an ordinary member with no official positions.

What to Watch

  • Whether the police investigation into the threats against Speitan leads to any charges.
  • Whether the Green Party's internal divisions widen, potentially leading to rule changes regarding conference motions.
  • How the controversy affects the party's standing in upcoming elections and its ability to attract voters beyond its base.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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