At the Green Party's Brighton conference, party officials set up a dedicated room intended to offer a secure space for Jewish members, a step taken in response to unease surrounding a proposed motion that would classify Zionism as a form of racism. With the vote approaching and opposing demonstrations — one backing Israel, the other backing Palestinian causes — held apart by officers stationed outside the Brighton conference centre, a party member of Jewish background confirmed that a dedicated room had been made available to anyone who felt at risk.
A party member who identifies as Jewish noted that a designated room had been set aside for members of that faith to use during emergencies. On the opening day of the conference, the space was made available for a gathering between a rabbi and attendees of Jewish faith. A party insider confirmed that a dedicated phone line exists for anyone with concerns, along with access to a private room for those who need it.
A notice barring press entry was fixed to the outer door of the room, while those arriving reportedly used a separate entrance to bypass demonstrations gathered at the front. Details of the arrangements were withheld from all but a small circle of those involved.
A motion put to the party's membership would, if adopted, place Zionism — the nationalist movement that drove the founding of a Jewish homeland in Israel — within the Green Party's official definition of racial discrimination. Two former Green Party leaders, Caroline Lucas and Adrian Ramsay, have each raised objections to the motion, describing it in separate terms as either divisive or unhelpful to the party. Passage of the motion would leave the Greens as the only party within the European political mainstream to hold a formally adopted position opposing Zionism.
Polanski put forward reservations about how far the motion reaches. Millward, who serves as deputy leader, indicated that the measure would be viewed as flawed unless it were revised to extend protections to Jewish members.
Mothin Ali, serving as the party's joint deputy leader, expressed backing for the motion in a broadcast interview, characterising the ideology it sought to address — one built around ethnic cleansing and ethno-nationalism — as rooted in racism. A visible police contingent was stationed around the venue where those on both sides of the debate had gathered along the road by the seafront. A long-serving Jewish member who holds a senior party position noted that, across their entire time in the party, Jewish Greens had not previously encountered a situation of this nature.
A member of the security team stationed at the venue indicated that staff had received instructions to carry out thorough checks on attendees across the three-day event and to be ready for any outcome. A registration deadline of 25 September was put in place by the Greens, giving event organisers enough lead time to run thorough background checks on those wishing to attend the conference.
Some within the Jewish Greens group have drawn comparisons, in private conversations, between the current atmosphere around their security and the conditions that led to Jewish MPs — among them Luciana Berger — needing personal protection during the Labour Party's years under Jeremy Corbyn.
Over the course of three days, the conference timetable included a range of sessions devoted to Palestinian affairs. One session, convened in the main hall under the chairmanship of Zak Khan — a party member who had been held by Israeli naval forces following his participation in the Gaza flotilla — carried the title "Palestine: The Golden Thread that Unravelled Britain." Andrew Feinstein, who holds a publicly stated position opposing Zionism, was among those seated on the panel.
Among the fringe programme's offerings were a panel examining claims around sportswashing and a Justice For Palestine gathering convened by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Polanski, speaking to a news channel, placed the figures in context, stating that approximately 75,000 people had been killed in Gaza and that around 1,500 further deaths had occurred since the period following what he described as the recent ceasefire. Records indicate that the number of children who have lost limbs now stands at a level not previously documented in the modern era. The speaker expressed a view that the party stands united around two positions: bringing the conflict to an end and halting arms sales to Israel.