Mayor defects from Greens after Zionism motion

ByBritta Zeltmann

Cornwall

The leader of the Green Party on Cornwall Council has defected following the party's recent "Zionism is racism" motion.

Drew Creek joined the Labour and Co-operatives on Thursday after the policy motion was passed at the Green Party's conference earlier this month.

Creek, who is Mayor of Newquay and serves as a councillor for Trenance ward, said he had "huge respect" for Greens across Cornwall but the motion "crossed a line".

The Cornwall Green Party said it was "deeply saddened" by Creek's decision to join Labour and said it does not "try to impose uniformity of belief" among its members and elected representatives.

The motion backed by Green members at its party conference said Zionism was an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish state in historic Palestine to the exclusion and/or domination of the non-Jewish population".

It has been criticised by Jewish groups, as well as some Green MPs and opposition political parties.

Creek said he hoped the Green Party would step back from the stance – but said instead, "Zack Polanski and the leadership has doubled down".

"I can't stand behind that, and I won't pretend otherwise," the councillor said.

He added: "People in Newquay don't want politicians driving division. They want someone who'll fix the roads, protect our coast, fight for local services and bring people together.

"That's the kind of politics I believe in and the kind of politics Andy Burnham has shown.

"Newquay is my home and where I am raising my family. I came into politics for one reason, to stand up for this town and the people in it. Labour is where I believe I can do that best, and I'm looking forward to getting on with the job."

Councillor Kate Ewert, Labour and Co-operative Group Leader on Cornwall Council said Creek's decision "highlights the serious questions about Zack Polanski's leadership".

Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay, added: "In this period of polarised politics, it takes great courage to stand up for what you believe in.

"Having worked with Drew since my election, I have always found him to be steadfast in his beliefs, easy to work with, and a good advocate for Newquay."

'Disagreements'

A spokesperson for the Cornwall Green Party said Creek had "done excellent work as a Green councillor" and they understood there were "different views within the Green Party on the 'Zionism is Racism' motion".

They said: "Disagreements over the wording of this one motion should not distract from the fact that the Green Party is united in its condemnation of the racist genocide and ethnic cleansing that Israel is perpetrating in Gaza and the occupied territories, and united in its demand for much tougher sanctions on Israel.

"Labour, by contrast, refuses even to recognise that what we are seeing is genocide, and continues to allow arms exports to and intelligence-sharing with the government that is committing it.

"It's hard to see how anyone who is serious about action on climate, action to end extreme inequality, and action to prevent an ongoing genocide could switch their support to a party that is not serious about any of these."

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