At Green Party conference there were many positive panels and fringes, discussions, meetings, presentations and socials.
The only thing I regret is not being there myself, shofar in hand, and bagels a plenty.
The following may be of interest, perhaps will be in future history books
Councillor of Gipton & Harehills, Leeds Mothin Ali Speech @ Manchester GPEW Conference 8th September 2024
I am from the Leeds Green Party, and I'm the one that the Daily Mail dubbed the "Gaza councillor." I'm not the Gaza councillor; I'm the councillor for Gipton and Harehills. But like many across the UK, I campaigned on a platform of ending the genocide that's currently taking place in Gaza. I campaigned on a platform of ending the apartheid that's taking place in Gaza, and in the whole of Palestine.
I campaigned for a free, liberated Palestine, like many thousands of voters who voted for the Green Party, who put their trust and hopes in the Green Party as the voice of an alternative politics.
We keep talking about being that party that’s going to be radical, that party that’s going to be the party of change, but if we don’t pass this motion and if we don’t lead the rest of the parties, then all we’re doing is following like sheep.
We need to be leaders. We need to stand up and say that we’re not going to be the ones who follow, we’re going to be the trendsetters. We’re going to be the ones that lead, the ones that are offering a real alternative. We’re going to call it out for what it is. We’re going to call it genocide, because if we don’t use the right terminology, then we can never identify it accurately.
If we don’t use the right terminology and call it apartheid, then we will never identify the problem and deal with that problem. So I urge you, conference: stand with us, stand with the people of Palestine. Every seven minutes, another Palestinian is being killed.
We can’t allow this genocide to continue any longer. We can’t allow these people to be killed any longer. We’ve got to stand up, and we’ve got to make our voices heard. We’ve got to take real action. It is emotive because death is emotive.
I’m going to tell you a quick personal story, one that I don’t usually share because of fears for the people involved. For those of you who know my background, I’m a gardening YouTuber. I consulted with a family in Gaza to create a rooftop garden. Since the start of this war, that garden is no longer there. That family is no longer there.
How many more families are going to be wiped off the register before we actually call it what it is? This is genocide. We’ve got to be brave enough to call it genocide.
