Folkestone & Hythe and "Zionism is Racism"

The Leaders of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat & Independent groups at Folkestone and Hythe District Council have written to Green Group and District Council Leader Jim Martin about their concern over the “Zionism is Racism” motion passed at the Green Party Conference.

In reply, Jim Martin has confirmed he did not, and would not, vote for the motion as written, and set out the reasons for his opposition to it.

Dear Jim,

We are emailing, with huge concern, about the "Zionism is Racism" motion passed at the recent Green Party national conference.

We cannot support that motion as passed, and are, like many others nationally and locally, deeply concerned by it.

None of us however have seen any sign that the Green Party locally, or our Council’s administration, is in any way racist. The national motion seems entirely out of step with what we see locally.

As such, as Leader of F&HDC, and leader of the Green Group at F&HDC, please can you confirm or otherwise your support for the “Zionism is Racism” motion as passed. 

We would strongly welcome your assurance that you and the Green council group locally do not and will not support that motion.

It is hugely important to us all that we have an inclusive approach to all members of our community. We simply want reassurance that this will continue to be the case in Folkestone & Hythe:  and that we will continue to act as we always have – supporting all local residents to the best of our ability.

We look forward to your reply and would expect both this email, and your response, to be public.

Yours,

Adrian Lockwood, Leader, Labour Group, Folkestone & Hythe District Council

Jenny Hollingsbee, Leader, Conservative Group, Folkestone & Hythe District Council

Tim Prater, Leader, Liberal Democrat & Independent Group, Folkestone & Hythe District Council

On Friday 30th October, Jim replied outlining his opposition to the motion as written.

Dear Tim, Adrian and Jenny,

Thank you for your letter and thank you for the constructive way in which you are approaching this important issue.

Can I begin by clearly stating that I did not vote for this motion. I can also say that if it comes before Conference again, unamended, I will not support it. Like all of my Green Party colleagues on FHDC I have very strong opinions about the plight of the Palestinians, but I feel this motion implies that racism is the single motivation that drives the genocide, and I do not believe that is true. I set out below some of the issues which should be considered.

First and foremost, I am very pleased that you have seen no signs locally that our administration or the Green Party locally is racist. It is not, and our District of Sanctuary motion provides a timely demonstration.

The Green Party nationally is not racist either. It never has been, and this motion does not change that. If this were not so, the motion would not be supported, as it is, by many of our members, including from the Jewish community, who insist that the Green Party of England & Wales is a welcoming and safe place for Jews and will remain so.

They, like me, recognise that what lay behind this motion was growing horror at the appalling suffering of Palestinians. I am proud of my Party’s record in speaking out against the genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, I personally feel, it is deeply regrettable that Palestinian voices have once again been marginalised in much of the discussion around this motion.

That said, in my view it was not for the Green Party to reject a two-state solution, or to question Israel’s right to exist. The people of Israel and Palestine must determine their own futures. For me, this is a major flaw in the motion - it simplifies or indeed explains the genocide by labelling it racism.

It is also clear that the definition offered of Zionism is not one everyone shares. Those who support the motion would argue that Zionism is an ideology rather than a religion. Clearly, it is not Judaism, so the motion was not antisemitic, but that is clearly not how everyone has seen it.

I have no hesitation in giving you my wholehearted assurance that we in the Shepway Green Party, alongside your respective parties, will continue to have an inclusive approach to all members of our community. 

I am proud of our record supporting residents, and we will continue to do all that we can with the resources at our disposal. We will never tolerate racism, discrimination or harassment in any form.

The motion hardly touches on the day-to-day work of this council and its councillors but let me be clear that Jewish people, like everyone else, deserve to feel safe and that they belong, in this district, or wherever they choose to live.

Thank you again for writing to me and giving me the opportunity to clarify.

Yours sincerely,

Jim

Liberal Democrat and Independent Group Leader Tim Prater commented:

"Having worked with Jim at Folkestone & hythe since 2019, I was confident that the Green Party motion did not reflect his views, but it needed to be said.

“If Jim had said that he would have supported the motion, or translated any part of it into actions here, that would have been a huge problem here. He did not. He disassociated himself from the motion. 

"We could spend time trying to turn this into a Party political fight as some are trying to do.

"Or we can concentrate on spending our time delivering as much as possible for the local area. Having clarified the position, getting on with making Folkestone & Hythe better is what I now plan to do.”