Understand
Green Party investigates member Lubna Speitan after court documents link her to jailed al-Qaeda supporter
Overview
The Green Party has launched an internal investigation into party member Lubna Speitan after court documents from 2015 revealed she was listed as a close friend of Minh Quang Pham, who was later jailed in the US for supporting al-Qaeda. Speitan recently authored a controversial Green Party conference motion describing Zionism as a form of racism and calling for a single democratic Palestinian state. The motion drew criticism from Jewish groups and opposition parties, while four out of five Green Party MPs opposed it. Speitan rejected the claims as a "classic distraction" and defended her past statements.
Key points
- The Green Party is investigating member Lubna Speitan following reports regarding her 2015 association with Minh Quang Pham, a man jailed in the US for supporting al-Qaeda.
- Speitan authored a recent Green Party conference motion that defined Zionism as racism and called for a single democratic Palestinian state.
- The motion was approved by party members with 1,022 votes to 813, becoming official party policy despite opposition from four out of five Green Party MPs and various Jewish groups.
- Court documents from 2015 showed Speitan offered to testify as a defence witness for Pham and described him as a trusted and respectful person, though there is no suggestion she knew of his criminal activities at the time.
- Speitan rejected the claims on Instagram, calling them a "classic distraction" and stating she rejects all attempts to decontextualise her past statements.