Green Leader Zack Polanski Sparks Outrage at Hustings with 'Zionism is Racism' Remarks

Green Party leader Zack Polanski faced a hostile reaction at a hustings for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election on Thursday, where he declared that Zionism, in practice, is racism. Polanski, who is Jewish, also described Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide, prompting boos from the audience.

At the event, organized by the London Jewish Forum and the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Polanski stated that those who label criticism of Israel's military actions as antisemitic are making Jewish people less safe. He further elaborated on his stance, saying, "I think there's a problem with definitions. It means different things to different people. If you're defining Zionism as a displacement genocide, which is how, in practice, Zionism has become, then that is racism."

The candidate's remarks came as internal Green Party efforts are underway to change the party's policy to advocate for a single Palestinian state encompassing all of historic Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital. This proposed policy, championed by some hardline pro-Palestinian factions within the party, also suggests treating Israel as an apartheid regime and calls for broad boycotts and sanctions.

The proposed motion, authored by a London-based artist, asserts that "Zionism has created and seeks to maintain – and where possible – expand, an apartheid regime between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea." The accompanying pamphlet calls for an end to "this racism and the monstrous State that has been built upon it," concluding with the phrase "Free Palestine, from the river to the sea," which has drawn criticism for being antisemitic.

During the hustings, other candidates also addressed the conflict. Reform candidate Ewan Cameron was applauded for stating that the UK does not take antisemitism seriously enough and that an "over-focus on events in Israel, as if that's the only thing that matters in the world," is unhelpful. Cameron also criticized Polanski's use of terms like "apartheid and genocide," arguing that such language, without proper context of Hamas, the complexities in Palestine, Gaza's history, and the situation post-October 7, can perpetuate antisemitic behavior.

Polanski himself had previously suggested he would not support the proposed policy in its current form, calling it a "distraction" that would not be helpful, particularly as he seeks election to the House of Commons shortly after the party conference where the motion is to be debated.