Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green Party, faced intense pressure on Friday to address what has been described as an anti-Semitic 'poison' within the party. In a humiliating climbdown, Polanski was forced to apologise for sharing a social media post that criticised the police officers who arrested the alleged Golders Green attacker earlier this week. The apology came after 24 hours of heavy criticism from the police, Jewish leaders, and even senior figures within his own party.
Communities Secretary Demands Action
Writing in the Daily Mail, Communities Secretary Steve Reed welcomed the apology but warned it was 'nowhere near enough'. He urged Polanski to 'get a grip' on the party's anti-Semitism crisis and to drop a number of election candidates who have been found to be 'spewing racist hatred' against Jews. The Mail has uncovered disturbing details about Green Party candidates standing in next week's local elections who have compared Jews to Nazis, praised the terrorist group Hamas, and claimed that anti-Semitic attacks are 'false flag' operations designed to gain sympathy for the Jewish community.
Conservative and Labour Leaders Criticise Polanski
Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said that 'one look beneath the surface of Zack Polanski's Green Party shows a poison party, toxic to its core'. He highlighted a candidate who called for the mayor of London to be put into a coma and a leader who reposted a tweet casting the Golders Green terrorist as a victim of police brutality while two Jewish men lay in hospital. Prime Minister Keir Starmer branded Polanski 'disgraceful' in an interview for BBC Radio 4's Today programme, stating that he was 'not fit to lead any political party'. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described Polanski as a 'pound-shop Jeremy Corbyn' and warned that his party must never be allowed near the levers of power.
Internal Party Tensions
The crisis has also fuelled tensions within the Green Party. Welsh Greens leader Anthony Slaughter refused to defend Polanski's intervention, calling his comments 'inappropriate'. Israel's deputy foreign minister, Sharren Haskel, branded Polanski an 'extremist', accusing him and his party of continuing a path of conspiracy theories and hatred towards Jews.
Exposed Anti-Semitic Candidates
The Mail has revealed further instances of anti-Jewish hatred among Green Party candidates. Mark Adderley, husband of actress Nadia Sawalha, was expelled from the party after saying Judaism is a 'cult' and suggesting the Bondi Beach massacre was Israel's fault. Despite his suspension, the Croydon Green Party encouraged voters to support him, though the post was later deleted. Nosheed Majid, a Leeds candidate, compared Jewish people to modern-day Nazis in a video. Tina Ion, a Green candidate in Newcastle, used the term 'ziorodent' to describe a Jewish man and suggested that 'cannibalism stems from Zionism'. Greens campaigner Joel Instone, who helped secure a parliamentary seat for Hannah Spencer, called to 'globalise the intifada' and for 'death to the IDF'. Rebecca Jones, running in Blackheath, praised the final testament of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and posted an image of a masked fighter burning an Israeli flag. Aziz Hakimi, a suspended candidate in Camden, shared an article claiming the attack on Jewish ambulances was a 'false flag' operation and reposted claims that Zionists were behind the 9/11 attacks.
Lack of Vetting Process
The Mail also revealed that the national Green Party has no formal vetting process for candidates, leaving selections to local parties. A party source said they are 'scaling up our structures now so that candidate selection is better supported in the future'. This comes as two Green Party candidates, Saiqa Ali and Sabine Mairey, were arrested this week on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred for allegedly posting anti-Semitic comments online.
Broader Political Reactions
Deputy Greens leader Rachel Millward suggested that racial hatred in Britain arises from rising food prices and energy bills, rather than specific groups. The Conservatives have also suspended a candidate, Helena Kanaan, who said the actions of the Israeli government proved 'Hitler was right'. A Green Party source acknowledged that in a handful of cases, candidates have displayed behaviour that fails to align with their values, and these are being carefully looked at.
