Green Party activists are facing mounting backlash after leaked WhatsApp messages revealed members describing Jews as “an abomination to this planet” and promoting conspiracy claims about attacks on Jewish targets.
The messages, first reported by The Telegraph, come from a Greens for Palestine group chat and have prompted calls for party leader Zack Polanski to take action, amid warnings of growing antisemitism within the party’s activist base.
In one exchange, a participant wrote that Jews were “an abomination to this planet” during a discussion about Israel and Zionism. Other messages show members claiming Jews “murder, bomb and starve” children and arguing activists should stop using the term ‘Zionists’ out of fear of being labelled antisemitic.
The remarks emerged as members debated how openly to frame their rhetoric. One contributor insisted that describing individuals as Jews rather than ‘Zionists’ was “the correct description,” adding that activists had been “scared into using the word Zionists.”
Elsewhere in the chat, activists engaged with conspiracy theories surrounding a recent arson attack on ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in Golders Green, north London. One member suggested the incident could have been a “false flag” operation, while a Green council candidate shared posts claiming the attack was an “inside job.”
Police later arrested two British nationals in connection with the incident.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said its lawyers were examining the remarks, describing the rhetoric as “straight out of Nazi Germany.” The group said the episode posed a test for the Green Party leadership over whether it would confront or tolerate such views.
Political pressure is also building. Labour figures described the revelations as “deeply troubling,” while Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said the language was “utterly appalling” and warned the Greens risked “drifting into a pattern of tolerating antisemitism.”
The controversy comes as the party experiences a surge in support under Polanski’s leadership. However, critics have raised concerns about ideological radicalisation within grassroots networks and the influence of activist factions.
Greens for Palestine, founded around 18 months ago, is pushing a motion for the party’s spring conference that would classify Zionism as a form of racism. Jewish Green members have warned such a move could marginalise or exclude them from the party.
Despite internal guidance urging activists to exercise “self-moderation” and avoid statements that could be used against them publicly, the leaked messages suggest those warnings were widely ignored.
After the messages were exposed, members discussed abandoning WhatsApp over fears the group had been infiltrated and suggested moving to encrypted platforms such as Signal. Some participants speculated—without evidence—that the app could be secretly controlled by Israeli interests.
A Greens for Palestine spokesman denied that members had referred to Jews as “an abomination,” claiming the comments were directed at ‘Zionists’ and accusing critics of conflating the two.
The Green Party declined to say whether it had launched an investigation or taken disciplinary action, leaving questions over how it intends to respond to the controversy.
