Update: On June 2 the Green Party reversed this decision. You can read about this here: Dimitri Lascaris back in Green Party leadership race
Updated: This post was updated May 28 with a statement from the Lascaris campaign at the end.
In a decision that stands in stark contrast to their claims to being a democratic and grassroots oriented party, the Green Party of Canada has apparently blocked the candidacy of Dimitri Lascaris for its leadership.
Lascaris had joined the race for the party's leadership on an eco-socialist platform and is a noted and outspoken critic of Canadian foreign policy and of Israeli government policy.
Lascaris announced that he had been blocked on twitter:
According to Lascaris he has not been provided with any explanation for this decision.
This, if it stands, would be an outrageous and flagrantly undemocratic decision that would confirm the suspicions of many that the Green Party is little more than a faux progressive parliamentary party with a capitalistic orientation towards "fighting" climate change.
They themselves said that they were "not on the left". Perhaps we should take them at their word.
As this is a developing story we will update as it becomes more clear.
Update: On May 28 the Lascaris campaign issued the following update:
"The Green Party's vetting committee has accepted my request to disclose the identities of its members and their reasons for not approving my leadership application.
My team and I have reviewed the reasons and they do not constitute a reasonable basis for disqualifying me. We are confident party members would agree, and we are convinced that no valid basis exists to disqualify me from this race. Therefore, my appeal will proceed.
I will submit a detailed written response to the appeal committee, and have also asked to speak directly to the appeal committee after it has reviewed my written response.
Out of respect for the process, I will not comment further until the appeal is concluded. I appreciate your patience, and am grateful to all of you for your support."