A Green Partycandidate for mayor has joined forces with a formerLabour official who described the Hamas attack on October 7 as an ‘act of armed resistance’.
Zoe Garbett, a key supporter of party leader Zack Polanski, aims to replace the current Labour Mayor of Hackney in the May elections through her ‘pro-Palestine’ initiative.
The current LondonAn assembly member is positioned on a shared platform with Heather Mendick — a former Labour Party official who posted on X stating that the October 7 attack should be considered an ‘act of armed resistance’ instead of terrorism.
It was Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali, who expressed regret after stating on October 7 that Palestinians had the right to “fight back,” who hosted an event on Thursday to kick off the party’s local election campaign.
Mr. Ali, who tripped onto the stage and oddly cited a late pop starMichael Jackson, used the speech to claim the Government is ‘complicit in the genocide in Gaza‘ and brand Sir Keir Starmer ‘spineless’.
Mr. Polanski’s assistant also refused to criticize a contentious proposal linking Zionism to racism, which will be discussed at the Greens’ spring conference this weekend.
For the election, Ms. Garbett has partnered with the ‘Hackney Independent Socialist Collective,’ a group that includes Ms. Mendick as a prominent member, to encourage voters in the London borough to ‘vote for Palestine’ in May.
Ms. Mendick served as the Labour Party’s representative for the Jewish community during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership but was removed from the party in 2022.after an inquiry into accusations of anti-Semitism, which she referred to as a ‘witch-hunt’‘.
On the day of the attack on October 7 – whenHamasterrorists killed over 1,200 individuals – Ms Mendick stated that ‘Palestine has an undeniable right to protect itself against terrorism’.
She has also stated on social media that the attack “must be seen as an act of armed resistance, not terrorism,” and that “Hamas’ killing of Jews is not motivated by antisemitism but is a response to a Jewish-supremacist regime.”
However, Ms. Mendick has continued to support her statements, informing the Mail: ‘I am Jewish and I feel a duty to speak out against the war crimes and human rights violations happening in my name by Israel.’
However, Labour MP David Taylor criticized the Green Party for ‘ignoring antisemitism’.
He stated, “The Labour Party appropriately removed Ms. Mendick due to alleged antisemitism; therefore, why is Zoe Garbett now not only supporting her but also campaigning together?”
If the Greens held any values, they would cut ties with these candidates right away.
Former Labour minister and crossbench peer Lord Austin stated: ‘This combined ticket is yet another instance of radical-left activists gathering to weaken our nation and its structures.’
Ms. Mendick was expelled from the Labour Party due to her anti-Semitic beliefs, yet rather than avoiding her, the Greens are collaborating with her.
Politics in the UK should focus on the type of nation we aspire to live in. Local council members should concentrate on promoting their ideas for schools and social services, maintaining clean streets and other local amenities, rather than discussing religious identity or conflicts in the Middle East.
Ms. Garbett and Ms. Mendick are ‘working together’ on the initiative and have decided to function as a team if the Green party’s mayoral candidate is elected.
They have created combined campaign materials, such as half-red, half-green brochures, which encourage voters to support “your pro-Palestine candidates” and allege that “Keir Starmer and Hackney’s right-wing Labour council are backing genocide in Gaza.”
The Hackney Independent Socialists website states: ‘For the upcoming local elections in May, we are working together with Hackney Greens.’
This implies that we are not opposing one another and are supporting each other’s candidates. We are also working to elect the Green Party’s Zoe Garbett as Mayor of Hackney.
A representative from the Green Party stated, “These remarks do not represent the Green Party’s stance on the terrible events of October 7, which we have consistently denounced.”
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