A Green Party member who proposed a motion declaring Zionism to be racism has been identified in court documents as a "close friend" of a man convicted of supporting al-Qaeda and plotting a suicide bombing at Heathrow Airport.
Lubna Speitan, a British-Palestinian artist, authored the Green conference motion that defined Zionism as an ideology backing "an ethnonationalist Jewish state". The motion passed on Sunday with 1,022 votes to 813, establishing it as official party policy. The proposal called for creation of a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine", a formulation that encompasses the territory of modern-day Israel.
Court filings from 2015 reveal that Speitan offered to serve as a defence witness during the trial of Minh Quang Pham, a Vietnamese-born British national who was sentenced to 40 years in a US prison after admitting to supporting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Pham denied involvement in any suicide attack plot.
The emergence of Speitan's connection to the case has intensified controversy surrounding the motion. Israel responded by banning Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entry, while Jewish organisations characterised the motion as an "attack" on their community. Several Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs filed complaints with Great Britain's equality watchdog.
Speitan defended the motion's intent, arguing that its supporters sought to oppose "racist systems of oppression". However, the BBC has not received a response to its request for comment from her. The Green Party stated that Speitan holds no official positions and that the organisation "takes all allegations of this nature seriously".
What role did Speitan play in Pham's legal case?
In 2015 court documents, Speitan was listed as a "close friend" of Pham who would furnish "critical testimony regarding Pham's mental state". The defence argued this evidence would be "crucial in establishing a mental health defense" and would bear on "the issue of guilt". According to the filings, Speitan had a medical condition that prevented her from testifying in person.
A letter she submitted to the US District Judge in 2016 described Pham as one of the "few people I regard with such high respect and esteem". In the correspondence, Speitan suggested that if the judge "truly knew the Minh [Pham] that and others grew to love and respect", they might have "probably had the whole case dismissed".
He turned out to be one of the kindest, honest, most sincere, trustworthy and respectful people I have ever known.
Speitan acknowledged in the letter that Pham "may have had and developed some behavioural issues" but emphasised his personal qualities. The court documents contain no indication that Speitan was aware of Pham's criminal activities during the period they knew each other.
The Jewish Chronicle first reported the existence of the letter, which has since been reviewed by the BBC. When asked by the Telegraph whether she remained in contact with Pham, Speitan reportedly answered: "Yes, it's still the case." She was quoted as saying she believed Pham had been "targeted" by "the system".
Who was Minh Quang Pham and what were the charges against him?
Pham, who had lived in London, was arrested at Heathrow Airport in July 2011 after returning from seven months in Yemen. Officers discovered a live round of ammunition in his possession. In 2015, he was extradited to the United States and subsequently sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2016 after admitting to three counts related to his support for AQAP.
According to US prosecutors, Pham received direction from al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki to detonate explosives in Heathrow's arrivals area following several months of training in Yemen. Pham denied planning any suicide attack.
How has the party responded to the motion and the revelations about Speitan?
The motion has triggered significant internal division within the Green Party. Party leader Polanski stated he would ensure no Green Party member was excluded because of religious or community affiliation, emphasising that "antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli state are, and must always be, completely distinct".
Polanski, who is Jewish, released a lengthy statement addressing the controversy. However, the motion has prompted resignations among party members. Several Green councillors have stepped down since the vote, and Green deputy leader in Wales Phil Davies resigned and cancelled his membership on Tuesday, calling the motion "the final nail in the coffin".
A Green Party spokesperson acknowledged the internal tensions, stating: "Where members have expressed views that do not fit in with the party's values, we have internal processes to investigate."
The motion also faced opposition within the conference itself. Delegates rejected a proposed amendment designed to protect members from pressure or discipline based on affiliation with Jewish community institutions, with the amendment defeated 1,026 to 648.
What is the history of this motion within the party?
The motion did not emerge suddenly at this conference. The proposal had been submitted to the Green Party's spring conference previously, but debate ran out of time and it was deferred rather than rejected, allowing it to be reintroduced at the autumn gathering where it ultimately passed.
What happens next?
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has not announced an investigation into the motion or the party's handling of related complaints. The watchdog has indicated it will consider complaints carefully, though no hearing or decision date has been reported.
Key Facts:
- Lubna Speitan authored the Green Party motion defining Zionism as racism, which passed with 1,022 votes to 813
- Court documents from 2015 identify Speitan as a "close friend" of Minh Quang Pham, who was sentenced to 40 years in a US prison for supporting al-Qaeda
- Speitan wrote a 2016 letter to a US judge describing Pham as "one of the kindest, honest, most sincere" people she had known
- The motion's passage has triggered resignations among Green Party members and complaints to the equality watchdog from MPs in other parties
- Party leader Zack Polanski has stated he will not accept exclusion of members based on religious or community affiliation
