Green Party Candidate Appeals to French Voters in By-Election After Urdu Campaigning Criticism

Green Party candidate Zack Polanski has released a new video appealing to French-speaking voters in the upcoming Holborn and St. Pancras by-election, a move that follows criticism of his earlier campaign video conducted in Urdu.

Polanski, running to replace Keir Starmer, issued the video in French with the plea 'votez pour les verts' for the October 8 election. This latest effort appears to be a response to critics, including Conservative shadow ministers, who questioned his decision to campaign in Urdu, the national language of Pakistan. Concerns were raised that the Urdu video was inappropriate given the small number of Urdu speakers in the north London constituency.

Census data from 2021 indicates that there are 2,488 French speakers in the Holborn and St. Pancras seat, significantly more than the 156 Urdu speakers. Polanski's previous Urdu video, released with the caption 'Vote for the Green Party on October 8,' stated in Urdu, 'My name is Zack Polanski, and I am standing for the seat of Holborn and St. Pancras. Because of pressure from the Greens, Labour has made many U-turns. Vote for the Greens.'

Data suggests that while about 10% of voters in the constituency are of Bangladeshi origin, the primary language spoken in Bangladesh is Bengali. Only 3% of the population identify as Indian and less than 1% as Pakistani.

Tory local government spokesman Katie Lam criticized Polanski's Urdu campaign, tweeting that "attempting to appeal to group-based grievances by campaigning in foreign languages is poisonous." She added, "Politics in our country should be conducted in the language of public life."

Similarly, shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately expressed concern, stating, "Politicians should be campaigning in the languages of the United Kingdom. So for instance in London, I'd be expecting the candidates to be campaigning in English, not in other languages."

A spokesperson for the Green Party defended their approach, telling the Daily Mail, "The Greens believe that democracy doesn't discriminate by languages spoken. Many people are bilingual. Holborn and St. Pancras is a true reflection of the diversity of London and of our country and we choose to embrace and celebrate that. If we want to speak to people who speak Urdu, it makes sense to speak to them in Urdu. We're proud to reach voters in as many languages as possible."

In his new French-language video, released via his Bold Politics podcast, Polanski acknowledged his accent, humorously comparing it to that heard in the BBC comedy 'Allo 'Allo'. He stated, "This year, the pressure that I — along with the Greens — have exerted on the Labour government in England has forced a change in policy. But we are keeping up the pressure. On October 8th, vote Green to send me to Parliament to hold the government to account. Thank you, and apologies for my pronunciation."