Smear Campaign That Brought Down Labour Now Targets Green Party Over Anti-Semitism Allegations
Tony Greenstein
The UK Green Party's pro-Palestine stance has prompted a smear campaign over anti-Semitism, mirroring the one that destroyed Jeremy Corbyn and Labour. New leader Zack Polanski must decide whether to follow Corbyn's failed appeasement strategy or directly confront the politically motivated accusations.
In the July 2024 general election, the Green Party won just four seats in the UK Parliament, but its fortunes have since transformed dramatically. With support now at 17%, level with the Conservatives and one point ahead of the governing Labour Party, the Greens are emerging as a political force capable of challenging Nigel Farage's Reform UK in the next general election. Membership has surged from 65,000 in July 2025 to around 220,000 today.
This rise is largely attributed to the party's uncompromising pro-Palestine stance. Many left-wing and progressive voters disillusioned with Labour's support for Israel's actions in Gaza have shifted to the Greens after Zack Polanski, a non-Zionist Jew who has described Israel's actions in Gaza as ‘genocide,’ was elected leader in October 2025.
However, this stance has triggered an anti-Semitism smear campaign almost identical to the one that led to Jeremy Corbyn and his pro-Palestine supporters being purged from Labour. The campaign began after the Greens' by-election victory in Gorton and Denton, where 30% of the population is Muslim and Gaza was a campaign focus. The media immediately accused the Greens of ‘factionalism’ and ‘using anti-Semitism for votes.’
The accusations escalated following an attempt to pass a resolution declaring ‘Zionism is racism’ at the party's spring conference. Although the resolution failed due to procedural obstruction by Jewish party members, the media began reporting that those expelled from Labour for ‘anti-Semitism’ had joined the Greens, bringing their ‘politics of hate.’
The article's author, a Jew expelled from Labour in 2018 on allegations of ‘anti-Semitism,’ became a target after joining the Greens in March. On March 28, the Jewish Chronicle published an article about his membership, suggesting it ‘raised concerns the party was becoming a magnet for those expelled from Labour.’ On April 16, his membership was suspended with no explanation beyond eleven words: ‘Documented history of anti-Semitism, including court decisions and recent terror allegations.’
Leader Polanski appears to be repeating Corbyn's flawed strategy: apologizing, promising improvement, and sacrificing allies. He has condemned all anti-Semitic comments but simultaneously rejected the idea that anti-Semitism is a particular problem within the Greens. Yet this appeasement strategy failed for Corbyn, who was ultimately expelled from Labour.
In the local elections on May 7, the Greens are forecast to gain over 500 seats, quadrupling their current number, while Labour is expected to lose up to 75% of its 2,557 seats. The Green Party's future may hinge on whether Polanski continues the path of appeasement or chooses to confront head-on the accusations he believes are politically motivated.
If the Greens continue to purge anti-Zionist voices to placate critics, the party risks eroding the very movement that fueled its rise, turning itself into just another establishment party—only green in color.
