The family of Zack Polanski, the Jewish leader of the Green Party in England and Wales, has expressed fears of leaving the UK amid a row over Zionism and antisemitism within the party. Polanski, who took over in September, has seen membership almost quadruple to over 220,000, but the party has been grappling with accusations of antisemitism among its ranks.
Two Green candidates standing for Lambeth council were arrested this week for allegedly stirring up racial hatred with antisemitic online posts. Another candidate, Tina Ion in Newcastle, faced criticism for calling for 'every single Zionist' to be killed, which she dismissed as 'isolated fragments'. Polanski himself apologised after sharing a post questioning police force used on a suspect in the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green.
Elise Benjamin, a Green member for over 30 years, called for an urgent review of the party's complaints process, saying: 'Now that we have such a large membership, I think there needs to be an urgent review of how to make our complaints process fit for purpose.' She added that a 'small but noisy core' is focused solely on the Israel-Palestine issue, ignoring other policies.
The debate reflects a wider tension over how Jewish people in the UK have experienced the fallout from Israel's assault on Gaza following the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack. Critics argue that support for Palestinian rights has been muddled with generalised attacks on Jews, while others claim the antisemitism problem has been exaggerated for political gain.
