I joined the Green Party in January 2010 and never had any problems until Autumn 2018. Until then, I was an active member and a three time local election candidate, London Social Officer, member of the conferences committee and regular leafleter in my local party. I was admired as a Jew who is very critical of Israel and campaigned within the Green Party on this issue, supporting its stance on Palestine.
I have been abused by the weaponised disciplinary system for the last six years and during this time, barely been able to contribute positively to the party and had much of my spare, unpaid time and energy wasted fighting this.
I won’t cover the initial case as it will make this even longer and more complicated for the reader.
Five year old, ongoing case
In June 2019, the then Complaints Manager and Governance Manager, a member of staff, lied to the Green Party Regional Council (GPRC) that complaints had been made against me, which led to my humiliating, public eviction from Scarborough conference, filmed below.
2020
The following year, July 2020, by which time the Complaints Manager had left his post but still remained a member of the Green Party, I sent a whistleblowing grievance to the CEO, partly to try to stop him standing for the Green Party Executive Committee (GPEx). However, I was put on a No Fault Suspension (NFS) for eight months after also exposing him on Facebook (to try and stop members voting for him).
2021
The following year, February 2021, the CEO paid several thousand pounds to an external investigator & former barrister to investigate my whistleblowing & the former Complaints Manager’s complaint against me. In May 2021, the CEO sent me an apology, upholding my bullying allegations (against the former Complaints Manager, GPRC and the Disciplinary Committee (DC)). My NFS was lifted but I was still expected to go ahead with the hearing of the former Complaints Manager’s complaint.
Having seen the report of my whistleblowing, GPRC should have recalled the former Complaints Manager from GPEx (who should not have been standing anyway as there was a conflict of interests) but they did not. As he was not held to account, I submitted an internal complaint against him. But instead of using the evidence found by the professional, external investigator, the (amateur) Disciplinary Committee interviewed nearly everyone again and the CEO & GPRC withheld the report of the whistleblowing and interview statements from me, even though I needed them for my defence! I could not even retrieve them via a Subject Access Request.
In the meantime, I exposed other things about the former Complaints Manager via Twitter & was put on a NFS for over two years, despite my whistleblowing status!!! The former Complaints Manager was now on GPEx & I wrote to them, asking them to recall him, but they would not, even though they had recalled others.
It was originally agreed that my complaint against the former Complaints Manager and both of his first complaints against me would be heard together, and it was partly because of this that the hearings were delayed as they needed a whole day for this and an experienced panel, plus I had to postpone the hearing twice due to the death of my aunt (January 2022) & the death of my mother (February 2023).
2023
I eventually had my hearings December 2023 (over two years since the last complaint and four years since the first) but instead of the two related complaints being put together (the first one against me & mine against him), the unrelated ones were. The three complaints were heard at two rushed, evening hearings & the DC Chair refused to change the dates, even though the first one was heard the day before I was due to travel to Portsmouth for a gig and on the Jewish sabbath, & both were heard during Chanukah. This could be seen as antisemitic. (Would they have had hearings during Christmas?)
The hearings were stitch ups, with my not being forewarned and informed beforehand of the format and time allowed to present my case, and I was not given enough time to explain what had happened and answer the allegations. I did not know that the panel would be different at the second hearing so I had to repeat what I’d said at the first hearing and ran out of time. (The whole point of putting the two related complaints together was so that the same panel would hear the same information.)
The panel did not cross examine the former Complaints Manager and the questions seemed designed to let him off.
My complaint against him, despite all the evidence that he’d lied, was thrown out, & his complaints against me were upheld. I was given a backdated suspension and was back in the party as it had been ‘spent’.
The deadline for appealing was early January 2024 so once again, my winter break was being compromised.
I appealed both outcomes as my complaint should have been upheld and my name cleared, especially given that my whistleblowing had been upheld, and I think the former Complaints Manager should be sanctioned.
The Appeals Committee have agreed to hear my appeals but I have now waited nearly eight months for a date. I was eventually told that they would hear them in September and asked for my availabilities and now I’ve been conveniently expelled for something else – see below, so I don’t know if they will ever hear my appeals!
Expulsion 2024
Last month, July 2024, out of the blue, I was given a date for the hearing of a two year old anonymous complaint which had been put on the back-burner as I had an earlier ongoing case (see above) which needed to take precedence, and I’d forgotten about it. The DC decided that there was no need for an investigation and that it should go straight to a hearing on 14th August. I said that I was on holiday, had only booked it the day before and that it was the summer holidays but was available in September. The Complaints Manager wrote back saying that the DC said it wasn’t a legitimate reason and that I’d been given four weeks notice!!!! As I pointed out, most people book holidays with more notice than that and that because the complaint wasn’t even being investigated, I had no inkling that I’d suddenly have a hearing, especially as it was the summer holidays.
I wrote to the DC a few times asking, am I not allowed a holiday, am I expected to cut it short or ruin it by having my hearing while on holiday, and how did they know if I would have a phone reception, WiFi or was able to take my computer away with me? I also said I have my partner to consider too and that didn’t they think I needed a holiday, after all my bereavements (my father died in April). The acting Co Chair of the DC wrote back and offered me 21st August. I said I’d still be away and didn’t know when I was coming home. He commented on my not having finalised my holiday arrangements, as if it’s any of his business. He said they can’t work with that & put it back to the 14th.
So it seems that the DC think that they can dictate when I go on holiday and how long for! Who do they think they are?!
It is pretty obvious that they were desperate to have it in August, no doubt to stop me going to conference and prevent my appeals from my earlier case being heard. It’s funny how the DC DICTATED when I have my hearing, insisting on August, whereas the Appeals Committee asked me when I’m available in September!!!!! It’s almost as if the Appeals Committee colluded with the Disciplinary Committee to make sure they never heard my appeal. One wonders if they are scared of responding to the evidence I have against the former Complaints Manager.
“I said they would probably expel me before conference & before my appeals were heard and I was right. They have expelled me, in my absence, without an investigation. “
I didn’t send a proper response to the complaint as I didn’t want to give the hearing any legitimacy. Instead, I sent an email for DC to read out, saying how unfair it was of them to have a hearing while I was on holiday etc. I also reiterated their lack of compassion in treating me like this after all my bereavements: my father died in April this year, my mother and cat died last year, and my aunt the year before that. What hypocrites they all are, claiming that the Green Party does things differently and stands for fairness! They are no different to the Labour Party, which also purges members via a Kangaroo Court system.
Deborah Fink, formerly Waltham Forest and Redbridge Green Party.
Explore other Exiles