Silenced By The Party, Chosen By The People

Just weeks before the local elections, the Green Party plunged into crisis, suspending dozens of Palestine activists in a move widely condemned as a political purge. For many, it bore an unmistakable resemblance to the witch hunts that scarred the Labour Party under Corbyn – raising serious questions about whether the Greens are now capitulating to external lobby pressure rather than standing by their own members and principles.

When Croydon-based Palestine activist Mark Adderley – the community’s chosen Green Party candidate for councillor in Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood – was suspended, the Resistance Kitchen issued a formal letter of protest to party leader Zak Polanski.

The letter stated:

“We are outraged by the decision to suspend Mark Adderley, a candidate chosen by and rooted in the community he was set to represent in Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood. This action sends a stark and deeply disturbing message: that the democratic will of local people can be overridden at the behest of external pressure. If the Green Party continues down this path, it will rapidly lose the trust and legitimacy it claims to hold within these communities.

At a time when the world is witnessing ongoing atrocities, communities are demanding representatives with courage and moral clarity — people willing to stand unequivocally for justice and to speak out against oppression wherever it occurs. Silencing such voices is not only unjust; it is an act of political cowardice.

We demand the immediate reinstatement of Mark Adderley as the community’s chosen candidate, alongside a clear and binding commitment that the democratic decisions of local members will not be undermined again.”

The letter also condemned the treatment of Saiqa Ali, a Green Party candidate in Streatham St Leonard’s ward, who was subsequently suspended:

“We are equally appalled by the treatment of Saiqa Ali. She is a respected humanitarian who has dedicated herself to supporting vulnerable communities through food banks in Croydon and medical work in Gaza. The attacks against her are part of a broader campaign to intimidate, discredit, and silence those who speak out for Palestinian rights. If the Green Party fails to defend her unequivocally, it will stand exposed as complicit in that effort.”