Greens urged to disassociate themselves from ‘Trump owned by Jews’ candidate

Labour and the Liberal Democrats have urged the Green Party to disassociate itself from one of its candidates, after she was found to have shared numerous antisemitic images on social media, including one claiming Donald Trump is “owned by Jews”.

As reported by The Spectator, Saiqa Ali, a Green candidate in Lambeth, posted on social media in January that in 2001, “Israel creates false flag attack on US soil”, and separately posted that “Today England has a government overrepresented with Zionists Jews [sic] and it appears they care more for Israel than England.

Another image shared by Ali, who is standing in the borough’s Streatham St Leonard’s, showed a caricature of a Jewish Israeli crying, along with the caption: “Don’t you know the rules?? We went through the Holocaust and now we get to kill everyone, forever!!” The image of Donald Trump shared by Ali showed the US President dressed as Uncle Sam, featuring a black Star of David on his hat, along with the caption: “I want you to die for Israel. Because I’m owned by Jews.” A further picture showed the globe caught in a stranglehold by a serpent emblazoned with the Israeli flag. In a caption alongside, Ali had written: “It’s time to cut the head of [sic] this snake.”

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On the subject of 7 October, the Spectator reported that in 2024 she posted an image saying that the situation demands that “Palestinians resist by any and all means. Last October, some of them did precisely that”.

Claire Holland, leader of the Lambeth Labour Group, wrote to Zack Polanski on Thursday, expressing “deepest concerns” about Ali’s conduct, saying that “these public posts range from sharing antisemitic conspiracy theories about the 9/11 terror attacks, to promoting age-old antisemitic tropes and making offensive, antisemitic statements directly about the Holocaust and our government being ‘over-represented with Zionist Jews’.

“I note, with regret, that there has been no statement from the Lambeth Green Party, or national Green Party, or yourself as leader condemning these abhorrent, racist views. Your party, locally and nationally, has been totally silent on this at the time I am writing to you. It is reported that the only action you have taken since the article was published has been to make Saiqa Ali’s Instagram private.

“I ask you urgently to consider withdrawing Saiqa Ali as a candidate in the local government elections on May 7th 2026, and publicly to condemn her social media posts in the strongest possible terms.”

Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who is the area’s local MP, said: “Zack Polanski must act now and remove this candidate. There is a synagogue in the ward. Streatham deserves better.”

Councillor Donna Harris, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Lambeth Council, also wrote to Zack Polanski, as well as Scott Ainslie, leader of the Green party group in Lambeth, saying: “Residents in Streatham and across Lambeth will rightly ask how such views were not identified prior to selection, and whether they are more widely shared in your party. This raises broader questions about the robustness of candidate vetting, including whether comprehensive social media checks are consistently undertaken and enforced.

“At a time when we are seeing a rise in extremism and populism, both in the UK and internationally, it is incumbent on all political parties to ensure that those seeking public office meet the highest standards. We have a shared responsibility to bring communities together, not risk importing the kind of division and hostility seen elsewhere.

Given the particular concern this raises for the Jewish community in Lambeth and across the UK, it is essential that there is clear reassurance that antisemitism, and all forms of hatred, will be robustly challenged, and that all communities will be protected and respected.”

In response to a request for comment from Jewish News, a Greens spokesperson said: “This does not represent the views of the Green Party; we are looking into it.”