Zack Polanski accuses ‘authoritarian’ Labour of ‘using Jewish pain’ to consider ban on marches

Zack Polanski accused Labor of “exploiting Jewish pain” to legitimize an “authoritarian” agenda as it considered banning pro-Palestinian marches following the Golders Green attack.

The Green Party leader, the only current Jewish leader of a major political party in the UK, has lashed out at home secretary Shabana Mahmood for hinting she would use new powers to crack down on marches protesting Israel.

Home Secretary Mike Tapp said: “I am disgusted that someone with this view would lead any political party. The Green Party has hit a new low.”

The row erupted on Wednesday as the Jewish community in Golders Green, the center of London’s Jewish community, was shaken by an anti-Semitic terrorist attack. During the attack, a 45-year-old man was tackled to the ground by local police after stabbing two Jewish men, one in his seventies and the other in his thirties.

In the wake of the attack, there have been growing calls for tougher action against antisemitism, including from Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis

Some called for pro-Palestinian marches to be suspended following the attack. Earlier, Ms Mahmood hinted that a new law introduced by Labor could be used to block the marches from progressing, after terrorism law watchdog Jonathan Hall said anti-Semitic language was being “incubated” at the protests.

But Mr. Polanski said: Independent: “It is a disgrace that this increasingly authoritarian government is now trying to use the pain of the Jewish community to impose further restrictions on their rights to peacefully protest. The Green Party will fight every step of the way against any restrictions on peaceful protest, regardless of the reason.”

The Gaza issue has become a major dividing line between Labor and the Greens; Mr Polanski’s party recently won the Gorton and Denton by-elections in Manchester; Part of his strategy was to target Muslim voters.

According to pollster Lord Robert Hayward, Labor will lose 1,850 of its council seats in the May 7 local elections, while the Greens are expected to gain 500 seats.

The Green Party is expected to replace Labor, especially in much of London, and all 32 borough councils are expected to be up for election.

Labour’s balanced approach to Gaza and its refusal to ban arms sales to Israel were one of the factors that led supporters and former members to turn to the Greens.

Mr. Polanski continued: “Jewish communities are waking up this morning incredibly frightened after yet another attack in this disgusting wave of antisemitic attacks.

“This is a time when politicians should work together to protect the Jewish people, but some party leaders are using this moment to launch party political attacks.”

He added: “I am the only Jewish leader of a major political party and I am subjected to antisemitic abuse on a daily basis. It is utterly appalling and unbecoming of other politicians to use antisemitism as a political football, especially after these horrific attacks.”

“We must also make it very clear that any response to these heinous attacks that restrict our civil liberties would be wrong. It would be a dangerous mistake for a government to try to use the pain of the Jewish community to restrict our right to peaceful protest.”

“We must not react to dire moments like this by turning inward, usurping our hard-earned rights. Instead, we must stand firm both to defend communities against such attacks and to safely protect the right of all of us to peacefully protest.”

Question asked by BBC Radio 4 Today Asking whether she thought pro-Palestinian marches could sometimes fuel hatred against British Jews, Ms Mahmood said: “Yes, look, the right to protest is of course a fundamental British freedom and people from across the political spectrum use that freedom to express their views.

“This is how we work as a democracy and it is an important freedom that we all have.

“But there are certainly many examples where crimes have been committed at protests, where hate crimes have been committed. And the size, the intensity and the repetitive nature of these protests have created certain pressures on the Jewish community, particularly but not limited to London.”

said before BBC Breakfast: “I have already changed the law, and I will not hesitate to do so again.”