Zack Polanski disowned by family as Greens face anti‑Zionism vote
zack polanski has been publicly disowned by several extended family members as the Green Party prepares to debate a motion at its spring conference that would brand the party explicitly anti‑Zionist, impose sanctions on Israel and endorse language supporting resistance. Relatives told interlocutors they fear they would be forced to flee Britain if he ever reached 10 Downing Street. The dispute has erupted as delegates prepare to debate and vote on the motion today at the party’s spring conference.
Zack Polanski: what the motion would change
The motion set for debate would make the Greens an explicitly anti‑Zionist party, reject definitions of anti‑Semitism that equate anti‑Zionism with Jew‑hatred, impose sanctions on Israel and endorse “resistance and liberation from Israeli occupation, ” language critics say effectively backs recent violent attacks. Under that proposal, the party would also reject key established definitions of anti‑Semitism and press for sanctions as policy tools. Delegates are meeting at the spring conference to debate and vote on these measures, and the timing has intensified family and communal alarm.
Immediate reactions and quoted responses
Three extended family members who no longer speak to zack polanski delivered the sharpest public condemnations, with one comparing his stance to “a chicken, telling us to vote for KFC. ” Another family member warned the motion would make the Greens “the most anti‑Semitic party in British history since Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists, ” and said the idea was “one of the most sickening things I’ve heard in a long time. ” A third family member said: “He’s currently the leader of the future Islamic party of Britain — that’s what the Green Party is fast becoming. And there would be no place for Jews in an Islamic state of Britain. “
The Jewish Greens group, of which zack polanski was once a member, said the motion would feel to many Jews like “an attack on that very basic right of aspiring to lead a safe and secure life. ” The Campaign Against Antisemitism accused the party of “not only tolerating but amplifying some of the worst rhetoric that we have seen in British politics in a generation. ” A Green Party spokesman pushed back, saying zack polanski is one of five Jewish leaders of a political party in British history and that the harassment he has received since being elected is patently anti‑Semitic and demeans democratic debate.
Background in brief
Born into a Jewish family in Salford and once part of what relatives described as a “very Zionist household, ” zack polanski has repeatedly declared himself proud of his Jewish heritage and has a background as a former actor and hypnotist. Under his leadership the party has seen an influx of activists drawn from across the left and Islamist‑aligned networks, and conference business has shifted away from environmental priorities; only a small share of motions focus on protecting the planet while others propose measures such as abolishing London City Airport, quitting NATO and reallocating funds from police and prisons to drug consumption rooms.
What’s next
Delegates will debate and vote on the motion today at the spring conference; the vote’s outcome will determine whether the party formally adopts an explicitly anti‑Zionist stance and associated sanctions policy. If the motion passes, expect renewed public backlash from relatives, Jewish groups and opponents who have already framed the proposals as an existential threat to Jewish members of the party. If it fails, internal tensions are likely to remain high as members and critics continue to contest the party’s direction. Observers and affected parties have signalled they will make further statements once the conference vote concludes and the party issues its formal decision.
