Zionism Is Not RacismAct now

Open letter · Hastings

Open letter from the Hastings and District Jewish Community to all Green councillors

The Hastings and District Jewish Community has published this letter to every Green councillor about the Green Party's "Zionism is Racism" motion. It is reproduced here in full, in their words. Published by the Hastings and District Jewish Community on Facebook.

To all Green Councillors,

We are distressed, disbelieving and shocked at the new Green policy that Zionism is apparently racism. This is blatantly antisemitic and puts the Green party in the company of the National Front, the British Union of Fascists, the Imperial Fascist League, the Communist Party of Great Britain, the Socialist Workers Party, and the Workers Revolutionary Party, who all have or had the same policy.

In other words, the Green party can now fairly be called an institutionally antisemitic party with policy in common with fascists. The Party has quite rightly been referred to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission for investigation as a result. Every leading Jewish organisation has protested, and we refer you to the joint statement from our leading communal organisations: the Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies.

In Hastings, the Green Party has openly supported and participated in aggressive PSC campaigns and events. We understood immediately that once you allied with a group raising money that is likely to end up funding Hamas, that you were a party racing to the political bottom.

Very unfortunately, the Green Party has control of Hastings Borough Council. We have already written several letters to you detailing exactly how much discrimination and hostility our members have experienced in Hastings. You have ignored this information every single time. We have referred Cllrs to the Standards Committee and following your dismal response to this, our case is now being investigated by the Local Authority Ombudsman. We now require clarification about what your latest discriminatory policy means for Hastings & District Jewish Community.

First, what does this mean for the types of events the Green Party will support taking place in Hastings? Will we now be subject to even more hostility on our streets, and even greater infiltration of the town's cultural life by the town's many antisemites? We are already excluded from much that takes place in Hastings - should we now be expecting to be made even more unwelcome when attempting to participate in the life of the town? What is your advice regarding this possibility, and what steps will you take to ensure we are not actively discriminated against?

Second, as proud supporters of Israel, should our members now expect to be formally discriminated against from their Green cllrs? Do we actually have fair representation from our ward cllrs or will they always be biased against us? Should we expect more divisive policies from this administration? Will you be taking even less notice of our views, comfort levels and indeed, equal rights as citizens and residents of Hastings? Will you support the antisemites in the town even more vociferously than you have already have?

Your only public statement on this issue is unintelligible wordsoup that suggests you support this Motion wholeheartedly and will take no steps to mitigate its effects on us. We look forward to a clearer understandable communication from you that spells out exactly how you intend to meet your statutory obligation to ensure that all Jewish people in the town are welcome to participate without hostility or discrimination, with equality in status and rights to every other resident of the town.

We are making this letter public, and sending it to all Cllrs and key public officials, including the police, the MP, the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister.

We look forward to your response.

In disgust,
Hastings and District Jewish Community.

The Green councillors on Hastings

Ask them to answer the Hastings and District Jewish Community, and to call for the motion to be reversed.

Email the Green councillors on Hastings Where each of them stands

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Email the Green Party Is Zionism racism? The motion, line by line