Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas has called for immediate action against candidates accused of antisemitic comments, as multiple cases emerge ahead of Thursday's local elections. Lucas, who served as the party's first MP, stated that while the number of incidents is limited, they are unacceptable and require urgent attention.
Among the cases, two Green candidates for Lambeth council, Sabine Mairey and Saiqa Ali, were arrested on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred online. Screenshots showed Ali posting an image of an armed man with a Hamas headband and the slogan 'Resistance is freedom,' while Mairey shared a post stating 'Ramming a synagogue isn’t antisemitism. It’s revenge.' Both have been suspended.
The party is also investigating Brian Capaloff, a candidate in Waltham Forest, over alleged incendiary comments on an anonymous X account about the stabbing of two Jewish men. Joe Belcher, a candidate in Walsall, was suspended after suggesting Hamas might have been paid by Israel for the 7 October 2023 attacks.
Green co-leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, condemned the comments as 'disgusting' and disowned the candidates, but rejected claims of a systemic problem. Labour has accused the Greens of acting too slowly, but a party spokesperson noted that the decentralised structure can delay suspensions and that vetting procedures are being strengthened.
