Critics blast Sheffield Green Party as "antisemitic" with calls for transparency on 'Zionism is Racism' vote
“Sheffield has a strong tradition of being an open, welcoming and inclusive city, and it is important that all communities feel represented and respected”
Politicians are calling on Sheffield’s Green councillors to reveal how they voted on the controversial ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion - with claims the party is encouraging “already unacceptable levels of antisemitism to get worse and worse”.
There has been outcry across the country following the Green Party’s decision to back a motion which describes Israel as an apartheid state and calls on the creation of a single democratic Palestinian nation across “all of historic Palestine” - including areas currently under Israeli territory.
The motion was passed by 1,022 members at the party’s conference in Brighton on Sunday, October 4, with 813 members opposing, including four of the party’s five MPs.
Meanwhile party leader Zack Polanski - who on Thursday, October 8, lost an election at Holborn and St Pancras - and Gorton and Denton MP Hannah Spencer did not vote.
Now critics in Sheffield have said that residents deserve to know how their local councillor’s voted on the matter, with Liberal Democrat Rob Reiss saying that deputy leader of Sheffield City Council Angela Argenzio particularly “has a responsibility to be open about where she stands on issues that have generated significant public debate”.
The East Ecclesfield councillor went on to say: “As a member of Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine, I have been horrified by the violence and genocidal acts of the Netanyahu government and the suffering caused by the war in Gaza and the West Bank. But this is not about that conflict. It is about whether elected representatives are willing to be open and accountable with the people they serve.
“My concern is that this motion has generated significant controversy, including from Jewish Green Party members. Several Green elected representatives have publicly resigned from the party following its adoption, citing concerns about its direction.
“Councillors are elected to serve every resident in their ward, regardless of faith, ethnicity or political belief. Sheffield has a strong tradition of being an open, welcoming and inclusive city, and it is important that all communities feel represented and respected.
“The question is simple. Did Sheffield Green councillors vote on this motion, and if they did, how did they vote? Residents deserve a clear answer.”
So far in Sheffield, Green councillors Mustafa Ahmed, Maroof Raouf and Alexi Dimmond have all publicly backed the motion with statements on social media.
Coun Ahmed said after the vote “today we made history”, while Coun Raouf posted a video from Brighton showing his support.
Despite this, party leader Zack Polanski has distanced himself from the motion, telling BBC Radio 4: “I wanted to amend it on two grounds - those amendments fell and so I would have voted against the motion because there are aspects of it that I don’t think are okay.”
In the week since the motion passed, court documents have revealed that the member behind the motion, Lubna Speitan, was a “close friend” of a man jailed for supporting al-Qaeda.
The Green Party are investigating the matter, however Speitan told the BBC she rejects “all attempts to decontextualise past statements I have made."
Local Reform UK councillor Matt Smith claimed that “all the Green Party care about these days is Palestine,” saying that representatives are failing to focus on issues affecting people here in Sheffield.
“I think the recent actions by the Green Party are disgusting, the Chief Rabbi himself has branded their al-Qaeda terrorist-supported motion 'poisonous antisemitism', with many online critics now claiming the Green Party are 'the UK's first openly antisemitism party',” the Park and Arbourthorne councillor continued.
“I have a personal connection to the Jewish community as I have mentioned before, and I understand the weight and seriousness of what is endured on a daily basis, the likes of which we should not see in Sheffield in 2026.
“The Green Party motion is a disgrace, and it only encourages the already unacceptable levels of antisemitism to get worse and worse.”
The Sheffield Green Party have been approached for comment.