Zack Polanski has conceded that calling himself a British Red Cross spokesperson was a mistake, but he insists the media's laser focus on his past is less about journalistic integrity and more about the establishment quivering in its boots at the Green Party's growing popularity and its love of wealth taxes.
The Times revealed that Polanski had described himself as a British Red Cross spokesperson while campaigning for the party leadership, and that the claim also graced his personal website in 2020, where he expressed being "really proud of the work we do."
The British Red Cross, for its part, clarified that Polanski was not a spokesperson for the charity and that it had raised the issue with the Greens.
Polanski fired back, accusing rightwing media owners with wealthy interests of being terrified of the party's rising support. On BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he explained: "I hosted various fundraisers for the British Red Cross, and indeed I would go on stage and speak for them about the amazing work they do tackling humanitarian crises, on the climate crisis, and indeed, for refugees all around the world. I used the wrong word, and I accept that, but I would essentially take words on stage with me and speak."
He also accused the Times of unfair targeting, noting that the paper had published a "pretty antisemitic cartoon" of him the previous week. "It feels some of these stories feel like scraping the barrel to kind of go back 10, 15 years," he said.
Polanski claimed the Greens' electoral rise had worried parts of the political and media establishment, specifically "people who own rightwing media, multimillionaires and billionaires … who are worried about the prospect that they might have to pay a little bit more tax." He pointed out that party membership had ballooned from 50,000 to 225,000.
On the final day of campaigning for local elections in England and parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales, with Labour bracing for a rough night, Polanski also addressed antisemitic comments made by several Green candidates. Two running for Lambeth council were arrested on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred online. Polanski said the messages were "all unacceptable" and announced a standardized vetting process and compulsory antisemitism training for all candidates.
Asked how he would avoid becoming "the new Jeremy Corbyn of British politics," Polanski said they were "very different people" but praised Corbyn's policies on wealth taxes and public ownership. As for becoming prime minister, he admitted he wasn't "ready right now," having only been party leader for eight months, but promised to "certainly be putting in the work."