Green Party Accused of Encouraging 'Stasi-like' Behavior Over Jokes

The Green Party is facing accusations of fostering an environment reminiscent of the East German Stasi, following the release of diversity training materials that reportedly instruct members to police their friends' jokes and report perceived transgressions. The training, which took place over the summer, suggests that members should document instances of 'banter' they find uncomfortable, including dates, times, and locations, to create a record that could be used in the event of a complaint.

The training materials reportedly outline scenarios where party members are encouraged to intervene in conversations, even if the subject of a joke is laughing and appears comfortable. One example cited involves jokes made about a Polish person's nationality, where the facilitator noted that even if the individual in question is fine with the humor, the party should aim to prevent an environment where 'derogatory jokes are allowed to happen.'

Activists were reportedly advised on various responses, including speaking to colleagues, analyzing why a joke might be funny, or interrupting the situation by changing the subject or creating a diversion. In another example, a comment made to a male colleague about his perceived lack of a partner, framed as a joke, was presented as potentially classifiable as sexual harassment depending on the context and its effect.

Additionally, the training included an exercise on 'affinity bias,' where participants were asked to list their closest friends and identify if they shared the same ethnicity, gender, nationality, religion, or educational background. They were then encouraged to reflect on this and focus on forming more diverse friendships to counter such biases.

Critics have condemned the training. David Taylor, Labour MP for Hemel Hempstead, told The Mail on Sunday that the lectures were "more akin to Stasi East Germany than 2026." He suggested the party lacks a sense of humor and should embrace the label "fun police." Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake stated that the Greens seem more focused on policing members' private lives than addressing alleged antisemitism within their own ranks. Lord Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, described the training as a "terrifying glimpse of what Britain would be like if the Greens ever get into government."

A spokesman for the Green Party defended the training, calling the activities "standard equality, diversity and inclusion activities designed to spark discussion about creating safe and welcoming spaces within our party."