Green Party motion author named as friend of convicted al-Qaeda supporter in US court documents
The lead author of a motion equating Zionism with racism that was adopted by the Green Party of England and Wales has been identified in US federal court filings as a close friend of a man later convicted of terrorism offences linked to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Lubna Speitan, a British-Palestinian artist and party member who holds no official positions, proposed the motion that passed at the party’s autumn conference in Brighton on 4 October 2026 by 1,022 votes to 813
The motion defines Zionism as a political ideology supporting “an ethnonationalist Jewish State in historic Palestine to the exclusion and/or domination of the non-Jewish population” and concludes that “Zionism is racism.”
It calls for “the establishment of a single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine” with equal rights for all and the right of return for Palestinians and their descendants. It also commits the party to treating Zionism as racism and supports related measures such as boycott, divestment and sanctions.
The decision divided the party. Most of its MPs opposed the motion. Leader Zack Polanski did not vote, as he was campaigning in a by-election. Jewish community organisations criticised the outcome, and the Israeli government barred Polanski from entering the country, describing the text as antisemitic under the IHRA working definition because it denies the Jewish people’s right to self-determination. Some Green figures have described the vote as unrepresentative of the wider membership, noting that only a small fraction of members participated. The party has stated that it remains anti-racist, that antisemitism and criticism of Israel are distinct, and that the motion does not affect membership conditions or disciplinary processes.
Separately, reporting has highlighted Speitan’s connection to Minh Quang Pham. 2015 US court documents listed her as a “close friend” who could provide “critical testimony regarding Pham’s mental state,” described as relevant to a potential defence.
In a February 2016 letter to the judge, she wrote that Pham was “one of the kindest, honest, most sincere, trustworthy and respectful people I have ever known” and one of the few people she regarded with high respect.
She suggested that fuller knowledge of him might have led the court to dismiss the case, and she offered to testify, though health issues prevented her from appearing in person.
There is no indication in the documents that she was aware of any criminal activity during their acquaintance, which appears to have been at college.
When asked by The Telegraph whether they remained friends, Speitan replied: “Yes, it’s still the case.”
She has also suggested that Pham may have been targeted by “the system.”
Pham, a Vietnamese-born British citizen, travelled to Yemen in late 2010, where he received military-type training from AQAP and worked with figures including Anwar al-Awlaki.
US prosecutors stated that he planned a suicide attack at Heathrow Airport’s arrivals area, specifically targeting passengers arriving from the United States or Israel. He was arrested by British authorities on his return in 2011 (with a live round of ammunition recovered), extradited to the United States in 2015, pleaded guilty to charges including providing material support to AQAP, and was sentenced to 44 years in prison in February 2025 after further legal proceedings.
The Green Party has confirmed that it takes the matter seriously and is investigating through its internal processes. A spokesperson noted that Speitan holds no party positions beyond membership and that the court documents are more than a decade old and do not evidence illegality.
