As the Green Party stages its conference this weekend, Zack Polanski might be expected to be feeling fairly smug.
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Polanski → stag → conference
In just over a year since becoming leader, the former breast-enlarging hypnotherapist has energised his party and sent it surging in the polls.
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hypnotherapist → become → polls
The Greens have already won one high-profile by-election under his stewardship, they have taken control of numerous councils and next week Polanski has a shot at ousting Labour in ex-Prime Minister Keir Starmer's constituency of Holborn and St Pancras to become an MP himself.
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Polanski → win → Holborn
Mr Polanski's achievements have been based on transforming a party of sandal-wearing eco-crusties into the standard bearer of the hard-Left.
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achievements → base → Left
But ironically it is this very transformation which could now pose him his biggest problem at the Brighton Centre, where 4,000 delegates have gathered for the conference.
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delegates → pose → conference
Because this new hard-Left membership are invariably anti-Israel obsessives, and ever since they signed up to the Greens they have questioned whether Polanski, the only Jewish leader of a major UK political party, is sufficiently robust on the matter.
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Polanski → sign → matter
Even though he has regularly described Israel's response to the October 7 attacks as 'genocide', there have long been concerns among party hardliners that, as one leaked message from a Green WhatsApp group claimed, he cannot let go of his Jewish background or 'Zionist indoctrination'.
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he → describe → background
With this in mind, his doubters at the conference appear to have set a 'Zack Trap' to test his purity on the issue.
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doubters → appear → issue
Although Zack Polanski has described Israel's response to the October 7 attacks as 'genocide', hardliners claim he cannot let go of his Jewish background or 'Zionist indoctrination'
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he → describe → background
Delegates at this year's Green Party autumn conference have gathered in Brighton to debate the Zionism is Racism motion
And if, as is likely, he fails it in their eyes, many expect them to launch a coup to unseat him.
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them → gather → him
The challenge revolves around an activist-led motion called Zionism is Racism, which, thanks to a relentless campaign by backers that includes spreading vile anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and disinformation about the October 7 atrocities, now enjoys huge support among party members.
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that → revolve → members
It states that support for Zionism – the belief in a state for the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland – should be 'treated as any other form of racism'.
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support → state → racism
If passed, it would mean Mr Polanski would also have to treat his own mother and other relatives – who have previously voiced support for Israel – as racists.
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who → pass → racists
It would make it almost impossible for any practising Jew to be a member of the Greens, as anyone who is a member of a Zionist synagogue – which is almost all of them – would immediately be suspect.
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which → make → them
It insists on support of Palestinian 'resistance' against 'occupation' by 'all available means, including armed struggle' – which, critics say, effectively means supporting terrorist group Hamas.
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critics → insist → Hamas
The motion was first proposed for the party's Spring conference held in late March, but back then time restrictions prevented it being heard.
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it → propose → March
(Its backers predictably blamed a 'Zionist' plot to derail it.)
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backers → blame → it
Its disappearance from the agenda will likely have come as a great relief to Mr Polanski, who had equivocated when asked about it beforehand by suggesting there were different meanings of the word Zionism.
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who → come → word
But the motion's supporters have returned bolder than before, having enticed hundreds of new 'entryist' members to join the party just to ensure that this time, it will be heard.
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it → return → party
With 800 co-proposers, it has become the most popular motion put to Conference in Green history.
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it → become → history
Some of the old guard, recognising that the Zionism is Racism motion is undeniably racist and could affect the party's popularity, have put forward a counter-motion called Building a Consensus for Palestinian Liberation with the aim of uniting the party.
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motion → recognise → party
While it agrees Israel is a genocidal country, it does not call for it to be dismantled and says it favours peaceful resistance over violence.
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it → agree → violence
This has infuriated the pro-Palestine cohort.
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This → infuriate → cohort
The Daily Mail can reveal that in an online workshop on Tuesday night to fight off the counter-motion, a series of extreme amendments were agreed upon which would make it as inflammatory as the original.
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it → reveal → original
One agreed upon was that anyone who calls themselves a Zionist should be regarded as a 'far Right or religious extremist' who needs to be reported to Prevent, the government's counter-extremism programme.
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who → agree → Prevent
(This is despite the Green party's own policy to scrap Prevent, which it says disproportionately targeted Muslims and reinforces the idea that Islam is inherently linked to terrorism.)
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Islam → scrap → terrorism
Another amendment states that 'anyone who voluntarily relocates to Israel is inciting the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians'.
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who → state → Palestinians
This poses another problem for Mr Polanski, who has relatives in Israel.
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who → pose → Israel
The entire row threatens to break up the Greens and has left Mr Polanski, whose election leaflets in Holborn and St Pancras feature a flag of Palestine, 'in a bit of a pickle' said one Jewish Green Party member with a level of understatement.
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member → threaten → understatement
Shahrar Ali, a former deputy leader of the Greens, said that by allying himself with the 'hard-Left and Islamists' Mr Polanski has created a 'monster' which threatens to destroy him.
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which → say → him
'Conference is going to be an existential moment for Polanski, but he only has himself to blame,' he said.
'
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he → go → himself
We now have a Palestinian mob within the party, which he has encouraged relentlessly, but they're now turning against him because he's not puritanical enough.
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he → have → him
He has failed to recognise his own contribution to the monster that he's created.
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he → fail → that
Now he's being turned on, and he can please nobody.
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he → turn → nobody
The Zionism is Racism motion is proposed by Lubna Speitan, a British-Palestinian artist, who admits to joining the party simply to push her agenda
Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu has shared anti-Semitic conspiracy theories including that Zionists and the Israeli government had 'allowed' and 'wanted' the October 7 terror attacks to happen
The Zionism is Racism motion is proposed by Lubna Speitan, a British-Palestinian artist, who admits to joining the party simply to push her agenda.
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who → propose → agenda
She has been drumming up support during the summer with the help of some unsavoury characters.
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She → drum → characters
In an online discussion promoting the motion in July and shared on her social media, Speitan spoke with notorious firebrand Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu.
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Speitan → promote → Shogbamimu
This was three months after Dr Mos-Shogbamimu infamously posted a social media rant criticising police officers for their use of force while trying to prise a knife from a man who had allegedly stabbed two Jewish men in North London – a post Mr Polanski shared to widespread criticism.
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Polanski → post → criticism
During their online discussion Ms Speitan said she backed 'armed resistance' and that being labelled as 'anti-Semite', 'Hamas supporter' or 'terrorist' was a 'badge of honour'.
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labelled → say → honour
She also claimed reports of Hamas rapes during the October 7 attacks were 'disinformation and propaganda' – despite a UN investigation finding the evidence strongly suggested such atrocities had occurred.
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atrocities → claim → investigation
…and 32 more, not listed.
The Aporia
