Wales Green Party deputy leader resigns over Zionism is racism motion

One of the two deputy leaders of the Wales Green Party – Philip Davies – has resigned from his post and from the party following the passing of the ‘Zionism is racism’ motion at the Green Party of England and Wales’ autumn conference in Brighton.

The Greens passed a motion which described Zionism as an ethnonationalist political project and a racist ideology. It also called for the establishment of a single democratic Palestinian state with equal rights for all.

In his resignation statement, Davies made clear that the motion was “merely the final nail in the coffin”, before saying that it is one of three reasons for his departure.

Davies said: “We as a party have always supported Palestinian rights and been clear in our position that the Israeli state is committing a Genocide of the Palestinian people. This motion to me achieves nothing materially to help people in Palestine and by committing us to a single state solution act against one of our 4 pillars of Green Politics of Grassroots Democracy. It feels very imperialistic to me for us in the UK to be telling people in the middle east what their futures should look like. Much in the same way that as a proud Welshman I wouldn’t want people in England telling me what Wales future should look like.”

Alongside this, Davies said that he felt that Wales Green Party and his position as deputy leader were not sufficiently respected by the Green Party of England and Wales, and that the party lacked a “long-term strategy for gaining power”.

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward