Zack Polanski, co-leader of the Green Party, has admitted that he was wrong to describe himself as a spokesperson for the British Red Cross. The revelation came as the party faces intensified media scrutiny amid its growing popularity and support for wealth taxes.
Misrepresentation of Role
According to a report by The Times, Polanski described himself as a British Red Cross spokesperson while campaigning for the party leadership. The claim also appeared on his personal website in 2020, where he stated he was "really proud of the work we do." However, the British Red Cross confirmed that Polanski was never a spokesperson for the charity and that it had raised the issue with the Greens.
Polanski clarified his role during an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, explaining that he had hosted fundraisers and spoken on behalf of the charity but used the wrong terminology. "I hosted various fundraisers for the British Red Cross, and indeed I would go on stage and speak for them about the amazing work they do tackling humanitarian crises, on the climate crisis, and indeed, for refugees all around the world. I used the wrong word, and I accept that," he said.
He added that he had ensured the misleading description was removed from his website, acknowledging that the charity does not support any political party.
Accusations of Politically Motivated Attacks
Polanski also hit back at what he characterized as politically motivated attacks on his party, accusing rightwing media owners with wealthy interests of fearing the Greens' growing support. "People who own rightwing media, multimillionaires and billionaires … are worried about the prospect that they might have to pay a little bit more tax," he said.
He claimed that the Greens' electoral rise had worried parts of the political and media establishment. "We had 50,000 members. We've now got 225,000 members. So we are rising," Polanski noted.
He also criticized The Times for what he described as unfair targeting, pointing to a recent antisemitic cartoon published by the newspaper. "I would also say, in the same breath though, the Times published a pretty antisemitic cartoon of me last week. I asked them to apologise, and it feels some of these stories feel like scraping the barrel to kind of go back 10, 15 years," he said.
Antisemitism Allegations and Party Response
Polanski also addressed antisemitic comments made by several Green Party candidates. Two candidates running for Lambeth council in south London, Sabine Mairey and Saiqa Ali, were arrested on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred online.
"I am responsible," Polanski said. "Those messages are all unacceptable and it's important to condemn that." He announced that the party would introduce a standardized vetting process and compulsory antisemitism training for all candidates, making it clear that antisemitism is unwelcome in the Green Party.
Describing the Greens as an anti-racist party, he stated: "It is also important to say one case of antisemitism is one too many. This is a handful of cases and actually we have over 4,500 candidates, the vast, vast majority of which are doing amazing work in their communities right now."
Comparison to Jeremy Corbyn
When asked how he would avoid becoming "the new Jeremy Corbyn of British politics," Polanski said they were "very different people" but acknowledged that Corbyn had put forward positive policies such as wealth taxes and public ownership.
Polanski admitted he was not "ready right now" to become prime minister, having been party leader for only eight months, but pledged to "certainly be putting in the work" over the next few years. "There's lots of skills and lots of knowledge to get, and I think that's fine. I'm a human being. I'm not perfect," he concluded.
