AIBU to be concerned about Green candidates and antisemitism?

[Twiglets1]

Ironically, given that the Green party is led by a Jewish man, the party has become home to political candidates causing distress and fear for many in the Jewish community.

Dr Phil Brookes, the Green Party candidate for Manor Park, Newcastle stated in a social media post that “it takes serious effort not to be a tiny bit anti-Semitic”.

Then there’s Sabine Mairey, the Green candidate for Clapham Town in south London. She posted a video on social media stating that a terrorist attack on a synagogue was “not anti-Semitism” but “revenge”.

Councillor Hau-Yu Tam is the Green candidate in the Deptford ward of Lewisham. She has expressed support for her “brilliant comrade and lawyer” Franck Magennis whose law firm Riverway to the Sea has sought the de-proscription of Hamas – the anti-Semitic terrorist group responsible for the mass murder and rape of October 7. She said she was extremely proud of Magennis for “blazing the way on this intervention”.

Ifhat Shaheen is a Green candidate in Stoke Newington. She has defended the October 7 attacks and suggested that Israel is harvesting organs from Palestinians.

Also in London is council candidate Saiqa Ali who posted an image of the Earth being strangled by a snake clothed in an Israeli flag, accompanied by the caption “It’s time to cut the head of this snake”.

Chandni Chopra is the Green Party candidate for Heaton, Newcastle. She has questioned whether Hamas used rape during their attacks despite the horrific evidence and previously described Zionism as a “mental illness”.

A second irony is that many Green Party voters will pride themselves on their anti-racist credentials. Why then is there growing support for a party whose candidates expressed such overt racism towards one of Britain’s minority communities?

Their leader thinks he can increase a women’s breast size by talking to them. 🙄

Not exactly government material are they?

They are insane.

Listen to Jews! No, not those ones!

Yep.

There’s no words for these disgusting people.
Zack is basically using his being Jewish to legitimise these abhorrent views. He’s a complete shyster.

Who on here thinks it’s reasonable to hold these views? Show yourselves.

The number of violent attacks on Jewish people and property is growing – there have been four anti-Semitic arson attacks in the UK in the last month.

This is the time to stand up against antisemitism as you would to other forms of racism, not to turn a blind eye to it when it comes to Green party candidates.

The Green Party is a magnet and a haven for very strange people. They now have very little interest in actual green issues (much like the SNP losing interest in Scottish independence) and have become obsessed with things like identity politics.

The day after that interview he claimed to have been misrepresented about what he said.

However, six days after the first interview, Polanski spoke to BBC Radio Humberside and did not apologise but defended the claims.

"Actually increasingly more and more as I work with people, there's starting to become anecdotal evidence, at least, of a growth in breast size," he told presenter Peter Levy.

Commenting on the emergence of the Radio Humberside interview, a Labour Party source said: "Zack Polanski's ego might have got bigger, but nothing else has.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn9enygvezeo

YANBU. It's scary to see how the party has been taken over by extremists and people who don't know keep voting for them as an eco-friendly protest vote.

Agree.

They don't talk much about green issues any more do they? Their name is a misnomer now as green issues aren't their primary concern.

This was always going to happen as they grew in popularitry. Like the SNP they have gone from being a single issue protest movement to a popular political party. They therefore have to develop policies on every area of public life, not just the environment.

This is what is happening. I expect that over time they will build a central policy unit to develop policies. They will also stop the more extreme members of ther party form spouting crazy shit and will get rid of them if they refuse to do so. This may take another 10 years or more but if they want to have any chance of becimg a mainstream political party it is what they have to do.

Their manifesto always had policies on other areas such as healthcare and education - but caring about the environment was their USP.

What they are becoming known for now though is no longer the environment (which has become a more mainstream issue for all parties) but their obsession with Israel and Palestine as well as identity politics.

That's up to them but they shouldn't tolerate racist candidates making antisemitic comments.

They are now the party of anti seminism and anti women's rights but think they are the good guys. I have considered voting for them in the past but won't now. There will be more high profile scrutiny on Zack Polanski and the party after the local elections which is very much needed.

They genuinely used to be a party that attracted gentle people with lovely values, like my mum who always used to vote Green.

She would not recognise the views expressed by the candidates above as belonging to Green party candidates! At a guess you would think they were said by some awful right wing party that hated Jewish minorities in the UK.

They have never been my first choice but I have happily voted Green a few times as a safe bet protest vote, the last time being in 2019. The fact that option has effectively been taken away now by they're own doing is a great shame.

I agree they are no longer safe as a protest vote. In my opinion it’s important to send a message to parties with extremists within them that those sort of views will not be tolerated within a (sort of) mainstream UK political party.

Zack Polanski's ego might have got bigger, but nothing else has.

I think his nose is growing daily, though, with fresh shoots sprouting on the end.

To add. I am Jewish. My late dad was very in to the environment and voted what was then the Ecology Party, which became the Greens. He would be turning in his grave now if he knew what had happened to them. Absolutely abhorrent.

Just seen a clip of Beth Rigby from Sky News interviewing Zack Polanski and she asks him about anit semitism and about his claim he could increase the size of women's breasts through hypnotherapy. Pleased to see these question being asked by leading journalists.

Instead of throwing racists and deviants out of the Greens, candidates have been told to delete their old social media posts.

It really is a party of unpleasant lunatics on one side and on the other a useful Trojan Horse for extremists. Each side thinks they’re using the other…

So in other words, just to hide who they really are.

Rather than attempts by the Green party to show who they are (or rather, could be) by expelling those who are very clearly anti semitic.

No, you're not being unreasonable at all. Party of loons, perverts and raging antisemites who have parked a puppet leader in place because he's Jewish and gay and therefore provides a kind of Poundshop, braindead, tit whispering cover for their rancid hate and perversion. Our only consolation is that they'll never get into power but they can still do damage.

It’s the new home of the Corbynite left.

I would have considered myself a Green 40 years ago, but my God not any more.

They are an abomination and appear to have a deep islamist streak.