EXCLUSIVE: London Green Party share Insta post branding mainly Jewish audience at election event ‘genocide supporters’

An Instagram post shared by the official London Green Party account has sparked outrage after it described the predominantly Jewish audience at last night’s Holborn and St Pancras by-election hustings as “a room full of genocide supporters.”

The post accompanied a photograph of Green Party by-election candidate Zack Polanski speaking at Thursday evening’s event, which was organised by the Board of Deputies and the London Jewish Forum.

Both the “londongreenparty” and “comrade_kumar” Instagram accounts shared the same caption: “Tonight at the Jewish Board of Deputies debate Green Party candidate Zack Polanski says Zionism as it’s practiced is racism in a room full of genocide supporters. Brave!”

The post also noted that Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Walihad spoke at the event and “said Zionism is not racist.”

“comrade_kumar” is the Insta platform of Ashok Kumar is a well-known Greens activist and academic, with strong links to the top of the party.

Last night one senior Jewish Labour figure responded to the London Green Party post by telling Jewish News:”This is beyond patronising and insulting from the London Greens to Jewish people.

“To be so insulting to a minority group, not least one that has suffered numerous attacks and hatred over the recent past, and is at the height of vulnerability, is nothing more than stoking the flames of hate and division.”

Another senior communal source added:”Zack Polanski was afforded a good faith opportunity to address a section of the electorate, and this is how the London Green Party responds?

“The London Green Party has questions to answer over sharing such an offensive post. If it was an accident, it shows the challenges the party has in recognising hateful rhetoric. If it was deliberate, it cuts to the heart of what many people fear about the Green Party as a force for division and extremism.”

Jewish News contacted the Green Party for comment after being alerted to the inflammatory nature of the “genocide supporters” remark and its circulation online via the party’s official social media.

Initially, the Green Party press office responded by saying, “the assertion that this is ‘deeply offensive’ is highly subjective.” Shortly afterwards, the post was deleted from the London Green Party Instagram account.

In a subsequent statement, a Green Party spokesperson did not condemn the “genocide supporters” slur, instead telling Jewish News: “Zack is one of our country’s most prominent Jewish politicians.

“He has long spoken out for Palestinian rights and against Israel’s genocide and war crimes. At last night’s hustings, he answered constituents’ questions openly and honestly about these issues, alongside questions on a wide range of other subjects.”

The audience at Thursday evening’s packed hustings included members of the local Jewish community from across the political spectrum, as well as attendees of other faiths and none.

Elected councillors from Labour, Conservative, and Reform UK parties were present, along with a small number of Green Party activists.

During the event, Polanski’s repeated references to “genocide” prompted some audience members to call out, “what genocide?”, while others remained silent.