A Green Party member who proposed a motion labeling Zionism as a form of racism has acknowledged maintaining a close friendship with a convicted al-Qaeda terrorist involved in a thwarted bombing plot at Heathrow Airport. Lubna Speitan, a British-Palestinian artist and activist, introduced the contentious motion at the Green Party conference in Brighton, where it was adopted by party members. The motion calls for Zionism—the movement that led to the establishment of Israel as a Jewish state—to be regarded as racist.
The decision has sparked controversy within and outside the party, with the Green Party's leader, Zack Polanski, criticized for abstaining from the vote and facing backlash ahead of a by-election in the Holborn and St Pancras constituency, previously held by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Some Labour MPs have raised concerns, reporting the Greens to equality watchdogs and questioning the party's stance on anti-Semitism. The Campaign Against Antisemitism has also reported Lubna Speitan to the police and is considering further legal action.
Speitan’s relationship with Minh Quang Pham, a Vietnamese-born British citizen, has drawn further scrutiny. Pham was convicted for plotting to detonate a backpack bomb filled with shrapnel and rat poison in the arrivals area of Heathrow, targeting passengers arriving from Israel or the United States. The plot, uncovered in 2011 after an armour-piercing bullet was discovered in Pham's luggage, was intended to cause mass casualties. Following his arrest and extradition to the United States in 2015, Pham pleaded guilty to terrorism charges linked to his membership in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and received a 40-year prison sentence, which was later extended to 44 years after new evidence emerged.
Court documents from Pham’s trial indicated that Speitan offered to testify in his defense regarding his mental health, supporting claims of cognitive limitations and bipolar disorder to bolster an insanity defense. However, a judge rejected her testimony on grounds that it was irrelevant to the central facts of the case. Speitan initially joined the Green Party from Jeremy Corbyn’s Your Party and has argued that Hamas should not be classified as a terrorist organization, as well as calling for actions against Zionists. When questioned about her ongoing friendship with Pham, she described the inquiries as part of a “character assassination” and said she believed Pham had been unfairly targeted by state authorities.
The Green Party has stated that Speitan holds no official position beyond general membership and that the party is reviewing the situation. Speitan has emphasized the personal losses her family has faced during the conflict in Gaza, urging media focus on what she described as the imbalance of power and the actions of the Israel Defense Forces. Meanwhile, Israel has responded to the motion by banning Zack Polanski from entering the country, reflecting the diplomatic tensions arising from the Green Party’s new policy.
The developments have underscored divisions within UK political circles over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and raised questions about party stances on extremism and anti-Semitism.