Green Party Official's Past Statements on Hamas Spark Controversy

A Green Party activist, Halima Brewer, who recently stated she was "naïve" to oppose Hamas, has been elected to the party's disciplinary committee. The committee is responsible for investigating complaints against party members and participating in judgment hearings.

Brewer's election to the committee at the Greens' annual conference in Brighton last weekend has drawn scrutiny due to past social media posts. In one post on her Facebook page, Brewer wrote, "I have dropped that naive view and now think the only thing Palestinians have left is violent resistance against the bigger terrorist – the biggest of all now – Israel." She also shared an image with the caption, "Hamas are not the terrorists. They're the ones fighting against the terrorists."

Further posts from Brewer included images of Israeli territory overlaid with a Palestinian flag, accompanied by declarations such as, "There is no country called 'Israel'. There is only Palestine, which is currently occupied by an army of international thieves and murderers."

These revelations emerge during a challenging week for the Green Party, particularly for its leader, Zack Polanski, who faces scrutiny over allegations of failing to address antisemitism within the party. This follows the passage of a controversial "Zionism is Racism" motion at the annual conference. The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) has reported the Green Party to the equalities watchdog over the motion, which the CAA describes as "racist and unlawful because it discriminates against Jews."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the motion's passing a "completely wrong decision" and "terrible judgement" by the party, stating it "in effect, ruling out a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine." He urged the Green Party leadership to reverse the policy.

In response to Brewer's reported comments, a spokesperson for the Board of Deputies of British Jews expressed deep concern, stating the comments "endorse terrorism" and should be investigated by the police. The spokesperson added that these remarks appear to be "further evidence of what the antisemitic motion passed on Sunday shows the Greens have become: an extremist party with a platform of anti-Jewish racism."

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp commented that if the reports are true, they represent "another horrifying example of how deeply rooted antisemitism has become in the Green Party." He called the idea of such views being represented on the Party's disciplinary committee "beyond ridiculous."

A spokesperson for the Green Party stated that the highlighted posts "do not reflect the views or the value of The Green Party." The spokesperson added, "Where there are examples brought to our attention that do not fit in with the views of the Green Party, we look into them through our existing processes."