The Labour Party has launched a scathing attack on the Green Party, publishing a 'dossier' that accuses leader Zack Polanski of fielding candidates with a history of hateful and dangerous rhetoric. The document comes amid growing scrutiny over the Greens' vetting processes, following the arrest of two local election candidates last week on suspicion of sharing antisemitic content online.
Arrests and suspensions
Among those highlighted in the dossier are Saiqa Ali and Sabine Mairey, who are standing for the Greens in Lambeth, south London. Both were arrested over allegations of stirring up racial hatred online. Labour's document points to posts attributed to Ali, including one that said 'long live the resistance' alongside an image of an armed man wearing a Hamas headband. Another post reportedly claimed that Donald Trump was 'owned by Jews'. The local Green Party confirmed that Ali has been suspended pending investigation, stating that the posts 'do not reflect the Green Party’s values'.
In Newcastle, the party withdrew support for candidate Tina Ion after it emerged she ran a social media account using the handle 'thereal.anne.frank'. The account allegedly described Zionists as 'vermin' and 'rats', with a profile image showing a woman in a keffieh headdress. One post reportedly said the username was chosen 'because Ann Frank wearing a keffieh p****s Zionists off'. Ion denied accusations of antisemitism, stating that her criticism is directed at 'a political ideology and a set of state actions', not at an ethnicity or religion.
Other controversial candidates
The dossier also names Phil Brookes, another Newcastle candidate, whose account last year posted about alleged mutilation of Palestinian farm animals, adding 'it takes serious effort not to be a tiny bit antisemitic'. The same account shared an image of an Israeli flag being torn to reveal a Nazi swastika. In Newham, candidate Rajeev Kumar is cited for a post claiming he had 'never met someone who hates Jews, but dozens of Jews who said people hate them', concluding that 'they fear hate because they know they should be hated for that'. Lewisham candidate Hau-Yu Tam allegedly used a racial slur against Deputy PM David Lammy and Tory Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel, branding them 'coconuts' in a Facebook post.
Political reaction
Communities Secretary Steve Reed condemned the Greens, saying: 'This isn’t one or two bad apples. This is serial hatred from candidates handpicked by Zack Polanski and the Green Party to represent them at the ballot box.' He urged Polanski to expel the candidates. In response, Polanski told the BBC: 'As a Jewish person, those comments disgust me. It’s important that we let the disciplinary process take its place.'
A Green Party spokesperson said: 'We are standing over 4,500 candidates in these local elections, the vast majority of whom we are proud to have represent us. Where there are examples brought to our attention that do not align with the values of the Green Party, we are looking into them, and in some cases candidates have already been suspended. We are investing in strengthening our vetting procedures to prevent inappropriate candidates slipping through the net.'
