Zack Polanski, the Green Party candidate in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, was heckled at a Jewish community hustings after declaring himself an anti‑Zionist and saying Zionism amounted to a form of racism because it led to the displacement and genocide of Palestinians.
What happened at the hustings
Polanski, who is Jewish, made the remarks at a hustings held at a Jewish community centre in Holborn and St Pancras. His comments were met with boos from the audience, according to reporting of the event. He sought to distinguish criticism of the Israeli government and the occupation of Palestinian land from antisemitism, saying that equating the two made Jewish people less safe.
"I’m an anti‑Zionist. I think countries have always been ideas and I think things change over time,"
The incident crystallises tensions within the Green Party as it heads into its annual conference, where delegates will vote on a motion to declare Zionism a form of racism in party policy. The conference falls a week before voting in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, the seat once held by Labour leader Keir Starmer.
Party politics and the conference arithmetic
Green Party officials and activists have warned that the motion could alienate Jewish supporters if it passes. That prospect has prompted concern from some within the party that a divisive policy change could erode local campaigning support in constituencies such as Holborn and St Pancras.
One Green source told reporting that a number of activists loyal to the party leadership might not attend the autumn conference because of its scheduling just before the byelection. That absence, the source said, could give other delegates more influence over the outcome of the motion.
Worry about internal splits was also evident in leaked WhatsApp messages reported last week, in which some activists criticised Polanski and suggested he was "struggling to overcome Zionist indoctrination."
Who benefits and who pays
The hustings confrontation highlights several consequences for the Greens and for wider British politics. If the motion passes it could:
- Alienate sections of the Jewish community who oppose the proposal, reducing the party’s appeal in certain seats;
- Sharpen internal factionalism, as activists align either with the leadership or with delegates pushing for the motion;
- Provide political ammunition to opposition parties that will frame the Greens as divided or as holding extreme positions on a sensitive international issue.
For Polanski personally, the episode is a high‑stakes gambit. Standing as a challenger in a byelection for a high‑profile London seat, any loss of support among Jewish voters or moderates could be costly — both in electoral terms and for his standing inside the party if his views become a focal point at conference.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Zack Polanski (Green Party) |
| Location of incident | Jewish community hustings, Holborn and St Pancras |
| Key issue | Declaration of anti‑Zionism; proposed party motion to label Zionism as a form of racism |
| Electoral context | Byelection for Keir Starmer’s former seat; Green conference scheduled one week before voting |
The row underlines how debates over Israel, Palestine and definitions of antisemitism continue to shape party politics in the UK. For the Greens, a decision at conference will force a choice between a principled motion that some activists favour and the tactical consequences of alienating voters in constituencies where the party hopes to make gains.
Whatever the conference outcome, the hustings disturbance has already made the argument part of the public record in Holborn and St Pancras, where voters will weigh the competing claims in the weeks before the byelection.
