London Green Party Candidates Arrested for Antisemitic Posts, London 2026

Key Points

• Two female Green Party candidates for London local elections, aged 54 and 57, arrested on Thursday morning, 30 April 2026, by Metropolitan Police on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred under section 19 of the Public Order Act.
• Alleged posts include: “ramming a synagogue isn’t anti-Semitism, it’s revenge”; “England has a government overrepresented with Zionists Jews”; and a now-deleted Facebook post claiming 9/11 was a “false-flag attack” created by Israel.
• Arrests occurred hours after an antisemitic terror attack in Golders Green on Wednesday, 29 April 2026, where two Jewish men, Shilome Rand (34) and Moshe Ben Baila (76), were stabbed; suspect, a 45-year-old British man of Somali descent with history of violence and mental health issues, Tasered and restrained by police.
• Green Party spokesperson stated to the Evening Standard: “This is now a police matter and we are unable to comment at this stage.”
• Incidents follow pattern of controversies involving other Green candidates, including Sabine Mairey (Clapham Town, Lambeth) sharing synagogue ramming video; Ifhat Shaheen (Stoke Newington, Hackney) defending October 7 attacks and alleging organ harvesting; Aziz Rahman Hakimi (Haverstock, Camden) blaming Zionists for 9/11 and Golders Green ambulance arson as ‘false flag’; Tope Olawoyin (Havering) quitting after suggesting Jewish involvement in ambulance arson.
• Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, criticised for post suggesting police heavy-handedness in Golders Green incident; post deleted after backlash.
• Local elections set for 7 May 2026; polls show Greens rising, potentially winning nine councils amid Labour decline.

London (Extra London News) April 30, 2026 – Two Green Party candidates standing in the upcoming local elections have been arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred after allegedly posting antisemitic comments online, marking a significant escalation in scrutiny over the party’s candidates ahead of the 7 May polls. The women, aged 54 and 57, were detained under section 19 of the Public Order Act, with the alleged posts including highly inflammatory statements. This development comes mere hours after a stabbing attack in Golders Green declared a terrorist incident, heightening tensions in London’s Jewish communities.

Who Were the Arrested Candidates?

The identities of the two women arrested on Thursday morning have not been officially released by police, as investigations continue, according to reports from the Evening Standard. As reported by journalists at the Evening Standard, the posts attributed to them included the comment

“ramming a synagogue isn’t anti-Semitism, it’s revenge,”

echoing a video shared earlier by Sabine Mairey, Green Party candidate for Clapham Town ward in Lambeth. Another alleged statement read:

“England has a government overrepresented with Zionists Jews,”

while one candidate reportedly posted on Facebook, now deleted, that 9/11 was a “false-flag attack” created by Israel.

This mirrors prior exposures by Kitty Hart of The Spectator, who detailed Sabine Mairey’s Facebook post of a video by David Spevak stating the synagogue ramming “isn’t anti-semitism. It’s revenge,” with Mairey captioning it similarly; the post remained online as of 16 April 2026.

Mairey was featured in Lambeth Greens‘ manifesto launch, prompting calls for her removal from Labour figures.

What Is the Context of the Golders Green Attack?

The arrests followed closely an antisemitic terror attack in Golders Green, North London, on 29 April 2026, as detailed by the Evening Standard.

Two Jewish men, Shilome Rand, 34, and Moshe Ben Baila, 76, were stabbed in the incident, which the Met Police declared a terrorist event; the 45-year-old suspect of British-Somali descent had earlier been in an altercation in south London injuring another person and has a history of serious violence and mental health issues, per Met Commissioner Mark Rowley.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned it as an “appalling attack on two Jewish Londoners,” with Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor noting counterterrorism probes into motives targeting the Jewish community. The Prime Minister labelled it an ‘antisemitic attack’ in the area with a significant Jewish population, amid recent incidents.

How Has the Green Party Responded to the Arrests?

A Green Party spokesperson told the Evening Standard:

“This is now a police matter and we are unable to comment at this stage.”

The party has faced repeated calls to act on candidate controversies but often states it does not comment on individual cases, as per a spokesperson responding to The Spectator’s enquiries on Ifhat Shaheen.

In related cases, the Greens confirmed investigating Aziz Rahman Hakimi on 14 April 2026 after Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) exposed his posts alleging Zionists behind 9/11 and calling Golders Green ambulance arson a ‘false flag’ by Israel, per Yahoo News UK.

Hakimi, a civil engineer standing in Haverstock ward, Camden, did not respond to requests for comment. Liberal Democrat opposition leader Tom Simon urged the party to disavow and expel him, calling the views “abhorrent and anti-Semitic.” The party condemned such remarks as not representing its values.

What Other Green Candidates Have Shared Controversial Posts?

Multiple Green candidates have been highlighted for antisemitic or conspiratorial content, as compiled across reports. As reported by Kitty Hart of The Spectator on 14 April 2026, Ifhat Shaheen, candidate for Stoke Newington in Hackney, defended October 7 attacks, suggested Israel harvests Palestinian organs “to help alter [the] DNA of Zionists,” questioned “Zionist funding” behind Tommy Robinson marches, and called for Palestinian resistance “by any and all means”;

she also posted on Facebook that 9/11 was a ‘false flag’ by Israel and possibly killed Charlie Kirk. Hackney Greens and national party did not withdraw her before nominations closed.

Tope Olawoyin, Havering candidate and London executive board member, quit on 31 March 2026 after suggesting arrested suspects in the 23 March Golders Green Hatzola ambulance arson—treated as antisemitic hate crime—were “white, probably even Jewish,” per Evening Standard and Campaign Against Antisemitism. Five arrests followed, including two British men (19,20) and a 17-year-old British-Pakistani.

New Statesman reported on 29 April 2026 a Newcastle candidate using alias “The Real Anne Frank” calling “Jewish Nazis” “money-grubbing thieves.” Lambeth Labour condemned a Streatham St Leonards candidate’s “racist and antisemitic” posts on 17 April 2026.

Why Is Green Party Leader Zack Polanski Under Fire?

Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, drew criticism for a deleted social media post appearing to share content claiming police “repeatedly and violently” kicked the “mentally ill” Golders Green suspect after Tasering, echoing an X critic, as per Evening Standard.

This prompted backlash amid the party’s antisemitism test pre-elections, per New Statesman.

What Is Section 19 of the Public Order Act?

Section 19 of the Public Order Act 1986 criminalises publishing or distributing written material intending to stir up racial hatred, relevant to online posts, as applied here by the Met. It aligns with prior uses, like arrests at protests.

How Might This Affect Local Elections?

Polls indicate Greens could control nine London councils on 7 May 2026, up 5 points, with 49% consideration per Ipsos UK, topping Labour’s 44% amid 15-point Labour drop, per Sir John Curtice analysis in Evening Standard. Controversies challenge this momentum, with Reform UK also probed for Islamophobic posts, per BBC. The party faces pressure to vet candidates rigorously.