Pro-Israel Rally and Counter-Protest Outside Brighton Centre During Green Party Conference
The Brighton Centre on Kings Road, Brighton. File photo via Wikimedia Commons
Dozens of pro-Israel demonstrators gathered outside the Brighton Centre on Saturday 3 October, with a counter-protest nearby and police keeping the two groups apart, according to reports. It happened during the Green Party’s autumn conference. The next day, members voted 1,022 to 813 for a motion declaring the party “anti-Zionist”.
This article sets out what was reported about the rally, what the motion says and how the vote went, and who has said what. Every claim is credited to the outlet or person it comes from.
Saturday outside the Brighton Centre
Middle East Eye reported that dozens of pro-Israel demonstrators shouted at members as they arrived on a narrow street outside the venue. It said they waved Israeli and Union Jack flags and carried placards criticising the Greens. The outlet did not name the organisers, and neither did The New Arab.
A counter-protest, mostly Green Party members, was held nearby, according to Middle East Eye. Some waved Palestinian flags and others held a banner reading “Jews against Zionism”.
Both outlets say police separated the groups. Middle East Eye described both sides as peaceful, with no serious confrontation, and did not report any arrests.
What counter-protesters told reporters
The New Arab spoke to several people at the counter-protest.
The outlet also reported accounts from other counter-protesters, including Marion Adler of Jews Against the Occupation in Brighton and Hove, and Alan Schechner. Their views are in its full report.
We have not seen first-hand accounts from the pro-Israel demonstrators in the coverage we read. The New Arab reported that they accused the Green Party of being “racist”.
Security and policing before the conference
Jewish News reported on 1 October that the Green Party had put what it called an “unprecedented” security operation in place, the first time the party had hired a private security firm. It said registration had closed on 25 September, where previously people could register on the day as observers.
The paper quoted a Green spokesperson saying the party “did not recognise” its claims. It also quoted Sussex Police: “Party conference security remains the responsibility of the organisers and their contractors.” The force said it was balancing protest rights with safety.
We have not seen a Sussex Police statement about the rally itself.
What the motion says and how the vote went
Members backed the motion, titled “Zionism is Racism”, on Sunday 4 October. ITV News reports it:
- declares the Greens an “anti-Zionist party”
- states that Zionism will be “treated as any other form of racism”
- supports a “single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital”
Members rejected an amendment that would have said the motion should not be used to “pressure, proscribe or discipline” members for belonging to a synagogue or Jewish group, according to ITV.
Middle East Eye quoted the motion’s author, Lubna Speitan: “We’ve made explicitly clear in the motion that not all Jews are Zionist and not all Zionists are Jewish.”
The Independent filmed the vote.
Who said what
Reaction split sharply, inside the party and outside it. Here is how it was reported.
- The Greens for Palestine campaign led the push, and its supporters celebrated and gave press interviews after the vote (Jewish News, The Badger, ITV).
- Deputy Leader Mothin Ali was the only senior figure to support it (The Badger).
- Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos endorsed the motion (Middle East Eye).
- Four of the party’s five MPs publicly rejected it (ITV). Ellie Chowns said it “risks fuelling division”.
- Former leader Caroline Lucas said she had “serious concerns” (Middle East Eye).
- The Board of Deputies of British Jews said it was “an antisemitic platform”, and Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called it “poisonous antisemitism” (ITV).
- Labour chair Bridget Phillipson called it “fundamentally wrong”, and the Conservatives called the Greens “toxic to its core” (ITV).
What party leader Zack Polanski said
Polanski did not vote. ITV reports he left after his Friday speech to campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. He wanted the call for a single state included, saying the aim is “equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians”.
On 5 October he said the party would “not accept any exclusion” of people based on religion, ITV News reported. Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, barred Polanski from entering Israel, according to the same report.
The Green Party has posted his leader’s speech from the conference on its official channel.
What happens next
The motion becomes party policy, but ITV reports the Greens do not require all their politicians to support it. A Green spokesperson said the party remains anti-racist and committed to opposing racism in all its forms.
We will update this article if Sussex Police or the Green Party say anything further about events in Brighton.
If you have experienced or witnessed hate crime
You can report it to Sussex Police on 101, or 999 in an emergency. Support is also available from Community Security Trust and Tell MAMA.
Sources and further reading
- Middle East Eye: Pro-Israel advocates hound Green Party members over Zionism is Racism motion (3 October 2026)
- The New Arab: Jewish Green activists defy pro-Israel rally at party conference (3 October 2026)
- Jewish News: Green Party launches unprecedented conference security (1 October 2026)
- ITV News: Greens make Zionism is racism party policy as Polanski skips vote (4 October 2026)
- ITV News: Greens will not accept any exclusion of people based on religion, Polanski (5 October 2026)
- The Badger: Zionism is Racism motion passes at Green Party conference in Brighton (7 October 2026)
- Channel 4 News: Green Party Zionism vote sparks tensions at party conference
- Green Party: conference timetable
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