Jewish Green Party leader condemns Times cartoon after Israel claims he is \u2018legitimizing\u2019 violence against British Jews<\/p>\n
The Times of London has come under fire for circulating \u201canti-Semitic\u201d imagery after publishing a cartoon targeting Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish and an outspoken critic of Israeli policy.
\nThe controversy came against the backdrop of a broader UK debate about threats that Jewish community is facing, amid heightened pro-Palestinian activism. Polanski has faced criticism from some quarters for allegedly minimizing the risks of anti-Jewish violence that is directed at himself too.
\nFigures within the Israeli government and pro-Israel voices in Britain have made such claims, with some accusing the Green Party of harboring anti-Semites.
\n\u2019Misinformed commentary\u2019 on stabbing spree
\nThe controversy follows a stabbing spree last Wednesday in which a Muslim assailant with a history of mental illness injured a Muslim acquaintance and later attacked two random Jewish men. Coverage by major UK outlets, including the BBC, emphasized the Jewish victims.<\/p>\n
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Polanski drew backlash after sharing, without comment, a video of police responding to the incident in London\u2019s Golders Green, which alleged officers were \u201crepeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head.\u201d<\/p>\n
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley accused Polanski of spreading \u201cinaccurate and misinformed commentary\u201d that could erode self-confidence in law enforcement. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the implied criticism as \u201cdisgraceful,\u201d questioning Polanski\u2019s suitability for political leadership.
\n\u2019Vile, anti-Semitic\u2019 image
\nThe controversial cartoon, published in the paper\u2019s Sunday edition after being previewed by artist Peter Brookes a day earlier, depicts Polanski kicking a police officer in the head while he and his partner restrain a knife-wielding suspect \u2013 an apparent reference to the Golders Green incident.<\/p>\n
An obvious antisemitic caricature of Zack Polanski in The Times.But there will be no media or political outrage, which tells you all you need to know. pic.twitter.com\/ULe1TDRuZD\u2014 Owen Jones (@owenjonesjourno) May 2, 2026 <\/p>\n
Critics, including the Green Party itself, argued that Polanski\u2019s portrayal echoed features historically associated with anti-Jewish caricatures.
\n\u201cA national newspaper has chosen to depict the country\u2019s only Jewish political leader using imagery long linked to anti-Semitic stereotypes,\u201d the party said in a statement, calling the decision \u201castonishing.\u201d Polanski himself described the cartoon as \u201cvile\u201d and \u201canti-Semitic\u201d in remarks to Sky News.<\/p>\n
Debate over Jewish safety and Israel policy
\nLast Friday, the UK government raised the national threat level to \u201csevere,\u201d citing the Golders Green attack alongside broader concerns about Islamist and far-right extremism.
\nOn Sunday, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel took aim at Polanski, labeling him an \u201cextremist\u201d and accusing him of \u201clegitimizing violence against Jews,\u201d referencing his sharing of the police video.<\/p>\n
#bbclaurakThe Guardian sacked Steve Bell after an outcry over his caricature of Benjamin Netanyahu (left) But so far, radio silence from #bbcnews et al after this anti-Semitic caricature of Zack Polanski by #TheTimes cartoonist, Peter Brookes (right) pic.twitter.com\/EW4H3QPRar\u2014 George_T_Truth2\ud83d\udede (@George_T_Truth2) May 3, 2026 <\/p>\n
Polanski pushed back on the accusation, saying the \u201cdeath and destruction\u201d by the Israeli government should be properly described as extremist. He also called the UK government\u2019s support for Israel \u201cshameful.\u201d
\nEchoes of Corbyn\u2019s ouster
\nAllegations of anti-Semitism have frequently surfaced in UK political debates surrounding criticism of Israel. In 2023, The Guardian cut ties with cartoonist Steve Bell over an image showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wearing boxing gloves while making a Gaza-shaped incision on himself.
\nSome interpreted it as invoking an anti-Jewish \u201cpound of flesh\u201d trope that serves a plot device in Shakespeare\u2019s play \u2018The Merchant of Venice,\u2019 though others argued it referenced a historical anti-Vietnam War caricature of US President Lyndon Johnson.<\/p>\n
The vile racists I witnessed in Corbyn\u2019s Labour are now in the Greens. Polanski has to get a grip. pic.twitter.com\/WRSs3Jt1ru\u2014 Steve Reed (@SteveReedMP) May 2, 2026 <\/p>\n
Claims of entrenched anti-Semitism in the Labour Party during Jeremy Corbyn\u2019s leadership led to his ouster and replacement by Starmer in 2020. Recently, Labour MP Steve Reed declared: \u201cVile racists I witnessed in Corbyn\u2019s Labour are now in the Greens.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jewish Green Party leader condemns Times cartoon after Israel claims he is \u2018legitimizing\u2019 violence against British Jews The Times of London has come under fire for circulating \u201canti-Semitic\u201d imagery after…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34711,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t