Friday October 30th 2026
Edinburgh City Chambers
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Nicholas Malizia
A controversial motion was passed by councillors on Thursday which saw an impassioned debate over Zionism.
It comes in the wake of the Green Party of England and Wales conference on October 4 where they adopted an “anti-Zionist” policy. It called Zionism an “ethnonationalist political project” and equated it to racism.
Cllr Marie-Clair Munro (Con) told councillors she was “deeply” concerned by the policy and successfully lobbied for Edinburgh Council to formally condemn it. A majority ruled that council leader Jane Meagher will write to Prime Minister Andy Burnham and First Minister John Swinney “reaffirming Edinburgh’s unequivocal opposition to antisemitism and its commitment to protecting Jewish communities”.
Addressing councillors, Cllr Munro said: “I am concerned. I recognise our strongly held views on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. But that is not the debate I’m seeking to have today. I also recognise there are different interpretations of Zionism within the Jewish community. But describing Zionism simply as racism risks making young Jewish people feel their identity and beliefs are being judged.”
Seconding the motion, Cllr Tim Jones (Con) added: “Jewish people in Edinburgh no longer feel safe. Never did I imagine that in my lifetime I would hear those words uttered from the Jewish community. Zionism is not racism. Every nation has the right to self-determination without exception.”
Critics called the motion a “gross oversimplification” and questioned whether Edinburgh Council was the appropriate body to weigh in on the debate.
Maurice Naftalin, from Progressive Jews for Justice in Israel/Palestine, feared it would “polarise the debate when what is needed is dialogue and reflection”.
Giving a deputation on Thursday he said: “I can agree with many aspects of the motion. Like all Jews, I strongly welcome the council’s commitment to oppose antisemitism, along with all other forms of racist prejudice.
“But opposition to antisemitism has become confused with opposition to anti-Zionism, and unfortunately [the motion] makes that confusion worse.
“[It ]identifies anti-Zionism as a contributor to antisemitism, implicitly accepting that all Jews are Zionists.
“[The motion] would wade into this debate, taking sides in an argument that non-Jewish people should understand before intervening.”
Some councillors also voiced concerns regarding the motion with Cllr Stuart Dobbin (SNP) saying: “I want to emphasise the need for this council to take action in our communities and schools to address antisemitism.
“The Conservatives regularly tell us to stick to our knitting, to only debate matters where we have competence to do so.
“In using the hook of the English and Welsh Greens motion, the proposer has chosen to politicise this in a manner that is unhelpful, risking opening up this debate in why a rise in antisemitism is so prevalent at this time, that would take us well outside the competencies of this chamber.”
Cllr Alys Mumford (Greens) shared: “Our party has long held the view that modern day Zionism, that Jewish people have a superior right to the land of Palestine, is a racist ideology which creates apartheid.
“We recognise that antisemitism is also a racist ideology. We see the swastikas and Nazi salutes in our streets and it pains us so deeply and we know that to conflate the actions of the Israeli government as being linked to Jewish people and Judaism is itself antisemitic.”
Cllr Susan Rae (Greens) called the motion “ridiculous” and added: “I know we’re coming to elections but I have never seen so many pick-me amendments in such an unseemly scramble to get electoral attention. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Nobody in this chamber listened to that wonderful deputation today.”
The Liberal Democrat group sided with the Conservatives’ motion, with Cllr Euan Davidson saying: “Branding aspirations of the Jewish people, and only the Jewish people, to self-determination as racist is quite clearly antisemitic. Palestinian freedom and Jewish self-determination are not competing principals. We must defend both.”
A majority consisting of Conservative, Labour, and Liberal Democrat councillors carried the motion against opposition from Greens and SNP.
The decision called on Edinburgh Council to “condemn the divisive language of the [Green Party of England and Wales] conference motion, reaffirm its opposition to antisemitism and express its solidarity with Edinburgh’s Jewish community.”
Cllr Munro said: “I brought this motion forward because I felt it was important for Edinburgh City Council to reaffirm its support for our Jewish community following the concerns raised by the Green Party’s ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion.
“This was not about debating the conflict between Israel and Palestine. It was about ensuring that Edinburgh’s Jewish community knows it is valued, respected and supported, and that antisemitism has no place in our capital.”
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