Polanski heckled at Jewish community hustings after saying that Zionism is a form of racism – UK politics live
The Green leader, who is Jewish, made the remarks as part of his campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection Grant Shapps, the former Conservative defence secretary, has warned government cuts to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme may “send the wrong message to [Vladimir] Putin” that the West is wavering in its support for Kyiv. From 1 January, payments to refugee hosts will fall from £350 to £100 a month, while council funding per arrival will drop from £5,900 to £3,300. Nataliya Rumyantseva is hosting her mother, the first Ukrainian to arrive in the UK after the war started. She said the changes were likely to have a significant impact. “When refugees arrive here from Ukraine, they are shellshocked and need time to adapt and learn the language. If hosting changes to become a more commercial rental arrangement, I think that’s cruel.” One host who lives in Greenwich said he did not know if he would be able to continue hosting because of the drop in payments. “I’ve been a sponsor since May 2022. I was dismayed to learn that thank you payments are reducing to just £100,” he said. “I lost my job within months of becoming a sponsor and these payments have become an absolute lifeline even though I did not volunteer for this scheme for the money. I genuinely worry about the consequences of this change for Ukrainians in the UK.” Continue reading...
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Zack Polanski declared himself an anti-Zionist and faced heckling at a Jewish community hustings in Holborn and St Pancras , where the Green party leader is standing as a candidate in next month’s byelection.
He said Zionism – the movement for a Jewish state – was a form of racism because it involved the displacement and genocide of Palestinians. His remarks were met with boos from the audience last night.
“ I’m an anti-Zionist. I think countries have always been ideas and I think things change over time,” he said.
Polanski, who is Jewish, said criticising the Israeli government and the occupation of Palestinian land was not antisemitic. “We need to come together to recognise that when we call that antisemitic, we are making ourselves as Jewish people less safe,” he added.
As the Green party prepares for its annual conference, members are due to vote on a motion to declare Zionism as a form of racism in official policy. As my colleague Peter Walker reported last week, some in the party fear it could alienate Jewish supporters if it passed:
A Green official said that many activists loyal to the party’s leadership might not be at the autumn conference because it takes place a week before voting in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, in which Polanski hopes to take Keir Starmer’s old seat from Labour, potentially leaving more scope for others to push through the motion.
“The risk is that if it passes as it is we are alienating ourselves from the Jewish community in the UK, a lot of whom are not big fans of the current Israeli government,” a Green source said.
There was, they added, a parallel worry about internal splits, with some Green activists in leaked WhatsApp chats warning that Polanski was “struggling to overcome Zionist indoctrination”.