Zack Polanski falsely claimed to be British Red Cross spokesperson, charity says

Zack Polanski falsely claimed to be a spokesperson for the British Red Cross while campaigning for Green party leadership, the charity has said.

This was also mentioned on his personal website in 2020, where he said he was “really proud of the work we do”.

The British Red Cross told the Times that Polanski “has not been a spokesperson” for the charity, and said it had raised the issue with the Greens.

Polanski posted several examples on X of him hosting fundraisers for the organisation. “I’ve always admired the work of the British Red Cross. From their work to support refugees to their work supporting people in Gaza & conflict zones around the world,” he had written.

A Green party spokesperson did not address the claims directly, but said the Times should apologise for what they described as an antisemitic cartoon of Polanski in the newspaper over the weekend, with an exaggerated large nose.

“Instead of apologising, the same paper that published an incredibly offensive antisemitic cartoon of Zack Polanski is devoting column inches to bottom of the barrel stories,” they added.

The Times story also alleged Polanski was not a full member of the National Council of Hypnotherapy, despite claiming to be one.

Polanski’s time as a hypnotherapist has been under the spotlight after he was featured in a 2013 Sun article, before he entered politics, offering hypnosis intended to increase a woman’s breast size.

He has repeatedly apologised for the episode, but said it was not a service he routinely offered, and he had only agreed to what the Sun journalist had asked for.

The BBC later uncovered an interview that Polanski did six days after the Sun piece, where he talks about “a successful project” with the journalist in changing the size of her breasts, indicating that he had tried the technique with other people.

The Green party is hoping to make significant gains on Thursday, especially in London with disillusioned Labour voters who have been drawn to Polanski’s leadership.

But the campaign has seen the party drawn into several controversies, including antisemitic comments made by several candidates. Two Green candidates for Lambeth council in south London, Sabine Mairey and Saiqa Ali, were arrested on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred online.

On Tuesday, former Green leader Caroline Lucas urged the party to take immediate action against candidates who have made antisemitic comments or posts.

“Statements that have now come to light from a handful of @TheGreenParty candidates are totally unacceptable & require immediate action,” she wrote on X. “There’s no place for antisemitism or any hate speech in the party. This is a society-wide problem and needs to be rooted out wherever it’s found.”

A Labour spokesperson said Polanski should “come clean with the public”, adding:

“After previously fibbing about his weird hypnotic past, Zack Polanski has been caught in the act again.”

“It’s not the first time the Green party leader hasn’t been straight with the public. He refuses to say if his council candidates have been suspended for vile antisemitism after claiming to have acted. Now there are serious questions about the work and qualifications he has boasted about. This is a matter of trust.”