Fury as Green Party candidate claims fiery Jewish ambulance attack was an ‘inside job’
A rising star of the Green Party has claimed the destruction of four ambulances run by a Jewish charity last Monday was an ‘inside job’.
Tope Olawoyin shared a series of social media messages claiming the arson attack in Golders Green, north London, was ‘perpetrated by a Jewish friend’.
The burning of four ambulances used by charity Hatzola sparked condemnation from across the political spectrum and is being investigated by counter-terrorism police as a potential anti-Semitic hate crime.
The two British men, aged 47 and 45, were later arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and were released on bail until April.
However, Ms Olawoyin, a close ally of Green Party leader Zack Polanski, shared the claim that the attack was a ‘false flag’; this was a term for an action performed with the intention of incriminating the opponent.
A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: ‘His views come straight from Nazi Germany… This is an important moment for the Green Party to decide what it is and which side of morality it wants to be on.’
Criticism of the Greens is increasing over the failure to address allegations of anti-Semitism in the party. Recently leaked WhatsApp messages have revealed Green Party activists referring to Jewish people as the ‘abomination of this planet’.
Last month, a document was sent to party members warning them not to share messages online that could be seen as anti-Semitic. The statement included the following: ‘Those who oppose us will wait for the opportunity to say that we are a bunch of nasty, vengeful anti-Semites. They will try to persuade us to make emotional statements and smear us as much as they can. Don’t take the bait!’
Greens councilor candidate Tope Olawoyin (pictured) shared a post on the day of the Golders Green Jewish ambulance arson attacks, describing it as an ‘inside job’.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski speaks at the ‘Together Against the Far Right’ rally on Saturday, March 28
Mr Polanski was born into a Jewish family and said he was ‘proud of my Jewish heritage’.
But the Daily Mail revealed on Saturday that several members of his family feared they might have to leave Britain if he came to power. One said the Greens had become ‘an Islamic party of Britain’.
Ms Olawoyin is a Green council candidate in Havering, east London, in May’s local elections.
He is a member of the party’s London executive committee and had previously introduced Mr Polanski at the party’s annual conference.
Following last week’s attack on ambulances run by the Jewish charity Hatzola, Ms Olawoyin shared a series of messages suggesting it was a hoax.
Following the arrest of two British nationals in connection with the incident, Ms Olawoyin said: ‘I can say with almost absolute certainty that the men arrested were white and possibly even Jewish.’
At the party’s weekend conference, a vote on a policy proposal equating Zionism (support for the state of Israel) with racism was postponed.
The event, held online via Zoom, was marred by technical glitches as more than 1,000 people tried to attend.
If the proposal is approved, it is expected that the party will officially declare itself ‘anti-Zionist’ and call for support for ‘resistance’ against the Israeli ‘occupation’. The Green Party has been contacted for comment.
