The Hounding of Shahrar Ali

By any measure Shahrar Ali is a significant figure in the Green Party of England and Wales. He was the deputy leader from 2014 – 2016, has stood as a parliamentary candidate many times, was recently a candidate for the London Assembly and has been the party spokesperson for policing. However he also believes in the reality of biological sex and that sex can be important in matters of policy. This has seen him face numerous instances of harassment by the party. In 2022 he was removed as an official spokesperson because of his views – although he’d been careful to stay within the rules and rarely expressed his disagreement with party policy, even in the context of the leadership election which allowed candidates to present their differing opinions.

Shahrar Ali

In a landmark case, Shahrar took the party to court and won – the judge concluding that “he has been subject to unlawful discrimination”.

For the first time, a political party had been found guilty of illegal treatment of someone because of their Gender Critical views. Shahrar was awarded damages and 2 weeks ago was awarded a further £90,000 in legal costs. How much the Green Party spent attempting to defend itself is unknown but the total bill could be as much as half a million pounds. A sane party would have taken a long hard look at itself – trying to understand how it had ended up breaking equality law and making sure that nothing like this ever happened again. But the Green Party is not a rational party. Instead, it embarked on a purge of Gender Critical members, forcing dozens of dedicated, hard-working members out. And now, to top it all, the party has expelled Shahrar himself.

It is an absolute cornerstone of discrimination legislation that people who bring a claim (even an unsuccessful claim) must not be victimised for their actions – to prevent the further bullying of the already bullied. For the party to expel Shahrar so soon after his win in court will take a great deal of explaining. And if they claim that it is his views, rather than his success at trial, that led to the expulsion they’ll be in even deepers waters. Whilst the judge accepted that there could be legal restrictions to what official spokespersons are allowed to say – the party will face a much bigger hurdle if it claims the right to expel any member who expresses legally protected Gender Critical views (as it has been doing to so many).

Of course, the party knows this well – its own legal advice states this clearly. The Lib Dems, though also captured by an intolerant ideological faction, have at least accepted that their harassment of gender critical members has been illegal and there are attempts being made to bring the Lib Dems in line with a law (if not the values of Liberalism). No such luck in the Green Party – where the legal risk which now appears to be existential is being ignored by the faction in control of expulsions. But by picking on Shahrar they’ve picked the wrong target. He has proven himself ready and able to take on the fight, he has a top notch legal team who have already humiliated the party in court, and a case that appears rock solid.

The only hope for those who want to preserve the Green Party as a force for environmental action is to overthrow the zealots who are wrecking the party from the top. Otherwise bankruptcy and legal defeat are on the way.