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Councillor Alsayed Al-Maghrabi, who is Palestinian, has joined the Green Group on Bristol City Council. The Green Group now has 35 members, exactly half of the 70 seats on the council. Labour now have 19, Lib Dems 8, Conservatives 7, and 1 Independent.
Greens will now also have half the seats on the eight governing Policy Committees and are one councillor away from a majority.
Cllr Al-Maghrabi said, “While today I am leaving the Labour Party, this is only because it has become apparent over time that the party has left me. I no longer recognise the values of fairness, compassion and social justice that inspired me to join, values that I now recognise in the Green Party.
“From refusing to tax wealth, continuing to enable genocide, and echoing Reform’s divisive rhetoric on immigration, I and many others have been deeply disappointed with the direction of the national leadership.
“I will never stop standing up for equality, justice and the right to speak truth to power. These are the same principles that first brought me into public life, and principles that I now find in the Green Party. I am incredibly excited to join the Greens to put hope back into the politics of Bristol.”
Cllr Emma Edwards, Leader of the Green Group on Bristol City Council, said, “We’re delighted to welcome Cllr Al-Maghrabi into the Green Group and are so pleased he has found a political home with us. It is a brave thing to leave a party that no longer aligns with you and to stand up for what you believe in, and we have no doubt that Al will be a huge asset to our group.
“Through his speeches at full council, we have seen his passion on such issues as Palestine and social justice. Al is also a hard-working councillor who is well thought of by his community, and I am sure his residents will support him in making this move.”
The Green Party’s national membership now stands at over 150,000, surpassing the reported membership of the Conservative Party and more than double that of the Liberal Democrats. This latest milestone marks a doubling of members since Zack Polanski was elected Leader of the party last month. There are also now over 4500 Green Party members in Bristol.
Green Party Leader Zack Polanski is also set to visit Bristol on Monday, the 3rd of November, to host a ‘Q&A’ event with Bristol Central MP Carla Denyer at St George’s, which sold out in less than 4 hours.
Zack Polanski, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, said, “I am thrilled that Cllr Al-Maghrabi has found hope again in the Green Party. He will be a huge asset to the Greens in Bristol, and we’re delighted to have him on board.
“Across the country, Labour members are turning away from a party that upholds the status quo of austerity, inequality and division and choosing a new kind of politics that offers a bold, hopeful vision of prosperity, equality and unity”.
“The Green Party is growing because we speak to the real challenges of this moment, and it’s clear that with our message, people can see that politics can be a force for good.
“So to Cllr Al-Maghrabi and all new members in Bristol and across the country, welcome to the Green Party.”
Carla Denyer, MP for Bristol Central, said, “I’m delighted to welcome Cllr Al-Maghrabi to the Green Party and our growing movement – for a fairer society, an economy that works for everyone, and a safe future for our children.
“Cllr Al-Maghrabi is one of many people across the country who have been badly let down by this Labour government and its failure to stand up for the 99%, migrants and refugees, and human rights across the world.
“I look forward to working with him in Bristol to improve the lives of all Bristolians and to fight for a fairer future for us all.”
Notes:
After much reflection, I have made the difficult decision to leave the Labour Party.
I joined Labour seven years ago to fight for fairness, compassion and social justice. Values that inspired me to serve the people of Frome Vale and that have guided every decision I’ve made as a councillor. Sadly, I no longer recognise those values in the national Labour Party. Over time, it has become apparent that the party left me, rather than the other way around – making myself and many others on the left in Labour politically homeless.
My decision is based on the deep disappointment with the direction of the national leadership.
Their refusal to take the idea of a wealth tax seriously, while allowing cuts that target the elderly, disabled, and most vulnerable, represents a betrayal of the principles the party was founded on and an attack on the working class who are already struggling so much with the rising costs of living. Labour was built off of the back of Unions and yet we have all seen these same Unions attacked by the government and framed to be greedy and selfish for standing up for workers.
I am also concerned by the party’s increasingly authoritarian approach, from steps taken to restrict repeat demonstrations in support of Palestine, to the political decision to ban Palestine Action despite countless examples of historic direct action groups such as the Suffragettes, carrying out much worse violence and yet with the power of hindsight are now seen as having been justified in their protest. These measures undermine the fundamental rights to peaceful protest and free speech that every citizen should enjoy.
Furthermore, the continued sale of arms to Israel, in addition to providing political cover for Israel in the face of what has been defined by the UN as a genocide against the Palestinian people is morally indefensible and repugnant. Our response should be guided by humanity and international law, not political calculation.
At the same time, I am deeply troubled by Labour’s decision to echo Reform UK’s divisive rhetoric on immigration, rather than standing up for truth, decency, and the value of every human being. I believe that is a foolish way to try to beat Reform and only isolates Labour’s progressive base voters.
I want to make it absolutely clear that this decision is not a reflection on my local Labour colleagues, who continue to work hard for their communities and hold fast to the principles that once defined our movement.
My respect and gratitude for them remain unchanged and I leave them with a heavy heart and thank them for all the support they have given me over the last year and a half.
My commitment to the residents of Frome Vale will continue as normal. I will continue working hard on their behalf and will do my best to improve the community and give residents a voice at the table as a Green Party councillor. I will never stop standing up for equality, justice and the right to speak truth to power. The same principles that first brought me into public life.