The Green Party has confirmed that its former candidate for the Makerfield by-election, Chris Kennedy, apologised after a video emerged in which he described an attack on Jewish volunteer ambulances in London as “total bull**** to keep the false flag flying”. The party named Kennedy as its candidate on the morning of May 21, but he withdrew nine hours later citing personal and family reasons.
The Times reported that it had approached Kennedy about a series of social media posts, including the Instagram video. He also reportedly shared a post by a user calling himself a “proud ethno-nationalist” that claimed the response to the Golders Green arson attack in March made “no sense”. A Green Party spokesperson said: “These posts don’t reflect the views of The Green Party. We have spoken to Chris about these posts, and he has now deleted them. He apologises for the offence caused.”
The party reiterated that Kennedy, a nurse and children’s safeguarding specialist, had stepped down for personal reasons. “We wish Chris the best and understand that family has to come first,” a party statement read. “As a party, we are re-opening nominations now because we believe people in Makerfield deserve a real choice at this by-election, and the Green Party will be standing to offer exactly that.”
Nominations for a replacement candidate open tomorrow, with a selection meeting planned for Monday evening. The by-election, triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Yvonne Fovargue, is scheduled for June 18. The Green Party also vowed to “redouble efforts on campaigning to expose the risk of Reform”, describing it as “a party who seeks to divide our communities”.
