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Green Party leader targeted with nazi salutes

A Green Party rally in Hastings, addressed by party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, was disrupted by several men displaying Reform UK and St George’s Cross flags, and one of the group was filmed making repeated Nazi salutes during the disturbance. Sussex Police later confirmed that a 62-year-old man from Hastings was arrested on…

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Nazi salutes at Green Party event Brighton
Nazi salutes at Reform protest against Green Party in Hastings

A Green Party rally in Hastings, addressed by party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, was disrupted by several men displaying Reform UK and St George’s Cross flags, and one of the group was filmed making repeated Nazi salutes during the disturbance.

Sussex Police later confirmed that a 62-year-old man from Hastings was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence in connection with the incident on Friday.

Harassed by agitators

Polanski, speaking on Trevor Phillips’ Sunday morning news show on Sky TV, referred to the Hastings incident. “My experience as a Jewish person is someone did a Nazi salute in my direction. This is not an abstract philosophical conversation for me. I think it is important we deal with actual antisemitism”.

A Green Party spokesperson said: “The Green Party is appalled that our leader, Zack Polanski, was harassed by a group of agitators who performed Nazi salutes. Zack is the only Jewish leader of a political party in this country, and he faces this kind of antisemitic abuse far too often.”

Reform link

Hastings Stand Up To Racism said on its Facebook page that, “a small group of Reform supporters turned up to agitate during a Zack Polanski Hastings Green Party rally, and one of them performed not one, not two, but three Nazi salutes on our streets. None of his companions batted an eye, let alone tried to stop him. Reform has shown over and over again who they are. It’s time people believed them”.

Reform UK, meanwhile, described the Nazi salute as “abhorrent” and distanced itself from the individual involved, claiming that he was not connected to their supporters who were displaying the party’s flag.

Antisemitic cartoon

Meanwhile, a cartoon in The Times by Peter Brookes, featuring Polanski, has been slammed as antisemitic.

Der Sturmer antisemitic caricature
Der Sturmer 1930s
The Times 2026

Shared on Saturday, Brookes’ image shows Polanski kicking one of the police officers as they arrest Essa Suleiman, who stabbed two Jewish men in Golders Green last week.

He has been accused of exaggerating features on the 43-year-old’s face, echoing historic anti-Jewish stereotypes including those used by the nazis in pre-war Germany.

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