Statement from Cllr Fran Belbin, Leader of Sheffield City Council:
Since the Greens passed the “Zionism is Racism” motion at their conference at the start of October, Sheffield Labour has been trying to find a way to address the concerns of many of our citizens about the motion and to enable us to continue to work together. However we now feel we are at the end of the road with the joint administration, and the people of Sheffield deserve to know why. For full transparency we are also sharing the letters and statements we have exchanged with Sheffield Greens.
Why this matters in Sheffield
Our job as the administration of Sheffield City Council is not to resolve conflict in the Middle East – although where we can have some impact, including pressing government for more action, we have done so. Our job is as far as possible to ensure that the people of our city can live in safety and security and access the opportunities they need to thrive.
The Green motion affects Sheffield citizens in very real ways. In particular, many of our Jewish citizens, who attend synagogues and other Jewish community venues, are deeply fearful of the consequences of demonising all Zionists. The Green Party have defined Zionism as support for the current Israeli government, but Zionism actually takes many forms – including secular, socialist and anti-racist – and the majority of our Jewish population are vehemently opposed to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Our Jewish citizens have good reason to be fearful. Antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of racism are on the rise, in many cases fuelled by the far right – but also in response to the situation in Gaza. I am sure most Green Party supporters recognise that the horrific attack on Heaton Park Synagogue and the arson attack on ambulances in Golders Green were antisemitic, though they may have been motivated by anti-Zionism. The rejection of an amendment to the Zionism is Racism motion that would have protected members who attend Jewish places of worship shows that the line between antisemitism and anti-Zionism feels meaningless in practice when Jewish communities are under threat.
We have heard powerfully and passionately from our Sheffield Jewish community about how unsafe this motion makes them feel. We have heard too from Jewish citizens who support the motion, and respect that Judaism, Jewish identity and Zionism are not the same – we have never tried to claim that they are. But when some of our peaceful, non-political citizens feel they are under attack – whether that is our Muslim communities in Darnall and Wybourn, or our Jewish community – it is our duty to stand up for them.
The steps we have taken to resolve issues with the Greens
We know that the majority of Sheffield Green councillors did not support the motion. Many did not attend the conference, and Cllr Argenzio, the Green leader, like Zack Polanski, avoided the vote and went to the Holborn and St Pancras by election on the day it was debated. However three of their councillors, including two committee chairs, have very publicly supported it – Cllrs Dimond, Raouf and Ahmed.
For several days we left the Greens to discuss amongst themselves the issues raised, while privately urging Cllr Argenzio to issue a statement of reassurance to our Jewish citizens. No such statement emerged.
On 15th October, following Andy Burnham’s public statement in the House of Commons condemning the motion, we received guidance from the national Labour Party on power sharing arrangements with the Greens. Having seen no indication that the Greens were going to address citizens’ concerns, I chose to send a letter to the Greens, accompanied by a Facebook statement – (Letter attached here, Facebook statement here)
The letter set out a seven day deadline for the Sheffield Greens to publicly reject the Zionism is Racism motion.
It was a strongly worded statement, and Sheffield Greens responded combatively (Letter from Cllr Angela Argenzio here)
If I have any regrets about my actions over the last few weeks, it is that I could have first tried a gentler approach, and I am grateful to my colleagues for reminding me that politicians should try to overcome divisions and not deepen them.
In the days that followed, therefore, we have tried to build bridges. We have not stuck to the seven day deadline, nor have we tried to be overly prescriptive about how the Greens can win back our trust on this issue. We have suggested ways that they could reassure citizens without totally rejecting the motion. We have brokered a conversation between Cllr Argenzio and a Jewish community representative. I have reached out personally, as have many members of Labour Group, to some of their members to hear their points of view and see if we can find a way forward. The Jewish Labour Movement of Yorkshire and the Humber also wrote to Cllr Argenzio to explain the damage the motion is causing.
Our “bottom line” consists of just two points, and we are open to how these are expressed – that not all Zionists are racists and that self-determination is the right of the peoples of Palestine and Israel, and not to be dictated by activists in the UK. I would have settled for the first, to at least acknowledge the fear amongst many in our Jewish population and address their concerns.
In this same period, however, the two Green committee chairs have restated their support for the motion, in very confrontational terms:
Green Party councillor in Sheffield “will not be resigning” over Zionism
Cllr Dimond’s public statements, in particular, completely misrepresent my own words to remember the victims of the 7th October attack (Facebook) and my opinions – neither Sheffield Labour nor myself have ever supported the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza, as demonstrated at multiple Council meetings and, for example, HERE
On 26th October I put out a statement to show we were trying to overcome our divisions – HERE We also met with Cllrs Argenzio and Dimond who finally agreed to put out a statement, and we reiterated our bottom line about the two key points above.
The Green statement was published on the evening of 27th October We stand by Sheffield and all our communities here. A message from the Sheffield Green Councillor group: | Sheffield Green Party.
This statement is not what we would have hoped and does not convince us that the Green Party have truly understood the pain they have caused. The point about self determination is not addressed at all. While we welcome the commitment to treat all citizens with respect, it does not address the key point that we have been trying to get over on behalf of the Jews in our city who have so articulately expressed their fears – that there is huge diversity amongst those who describe themselves as Zionist in Sheffield and to label them all as racists is not only offensive but alienates allies advocating for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Gaza.
This really matters. One Green councillor I have spoken with refused to believe – literally refused to believe – that there are Zionists who do not support the Netanyahu government, even when presented with evidence of, for example, Zionist rabbis being arrested by the IDF for working with Palestinians. What hope for our small Jewish community in Sheffield that they will not be tarred by the same brush?
What happens next?
Our trust in Sheffield Greens is completely broken. Their refusal to stand up for Jewish citizens with whom some of their councillors disagree, the public interviews with Cllrs Dimond and Raouf and their ongoing misrepresentation of Sheffield Labour’s views and stated positions have all contributed to that breakdown of trust. The Greens that we formed a joint administration with feel like a very different organisation now – while many individual Green members/ex-members and administrations around the country have put out clear statements that address the problems with the motion, including most of their MPs, in Sheffield there has been no movement at all.
It is our intention at full Council on Wednesday 4th November to put forward a Labour minority administration.
Our committee system does not change – all councillors will continue to contribute to all decision making and we rely on them to make decisions that are in the best interests of all the people of Sheffield, not narrow party interests. Council services will still be delivered and we will keep working to improve them.
Sheffield Labour will put Sheffield first, we will fight ALL forms of racism, and we will put all our focus on the issues that matter most to our citizens, including tackling poverty, improving our neighbourhoods and creating opportunities for young people. We will never stop calling for justice for Palestinians, that matters so much to so many of us.
I do not want to lead an administration that is characterised by division and hatred. We are one Sheffield made up of many communities, and Sheffield Labour will keep working to bring communities together to overcome differences, not entrench them