Zack Polanski says he was wrong to call himself a Red Cross spokesperson
Zack Polanski has said he was wrong to describe himself as a British Red Cross spokesperson, and that intensified media scrutiny of the Green party reflected fears of its rising popularity and support for wealth taxes.Polanski described himself as a British Red Cross spokesperson while campaigning for the party leadership, the Times revealed.The claim was also mentioned on his personal website in 2020 when he said he was “really proud of the work we do”.The British Red Cross said Polanski had not been a spokesperson for the charity, and that it had raised the issue with the Greens.Polanski also hit back at what he characterised as politically motivated attacks on his party, accusing rightwing media owners with wealthy interests of fearing the party’s growing support.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I hosted various fundraisers for the British Red Cross, and indeed I would go on stage and speak for them about the amazing work they do tackling humanitarian crises, on the climate crisis, and indeed, for refugees all around the world,“I used the wrong word, and I accept that, but I would essentially take words on stage with me and speak,It’s important, though, and I accept this, that they don’t support any political party, and I’ve made sure that’s been taken down,”He also accused the Times of unfairly targeting him,“Well, I think it’s totally fine to ask me questions about my past,” he said.
“I would also say, in the same breath though, the Times published a pretty antisemitic cartoon of me last week.I asked them to apologise, and it feels some of these stories feel like scraping the barrel to kind of go back 10, 15 years.”Polanski claimed the Greens’ electoral rise had worried parts of the political and media establishment.“People who own rightwing media, multimillionaires and billionaires … are worried about the prospect that they might have to pay a little bit more tax,” he said.“We had 50,000 members.
We’ve now got 225,000 members.So we are rising.”Polanski was interviewed on the final day of campaigning for local elections in England and parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales on Thursday, with Labour braced for a very difficult night when the results come in.He also defended the Greens against antisemitic comments made by several of its candidates.Two running for Lambeth council in south London, Sabine Mairey and Saiqa Ali, were arrested on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred online.
“I am responsible,” Polanski said.“Those messages are all unacceptable and it’s important to condemn that.” He also said the party would introduce a standardised vetting process and compulsory antisemitism training for all of its candidates.He said that would “make it clear that antisemitism is completely unwelcome in the Green party, as it is in society“.Describing the Greens as an anti-racist party, he said: “It is also important to say one case of antisemitism is one too many.
This is a handful of cases and actually we have over 4,500 candidates, the vast, vast majority of which are doing amazing work in their communities right now.”Asked how he would avoid becoming “the new Jeremy Corbyn of British politics”, Polanski said they were “very different people” but that Corbyn had put forward lots of policies that were “really positive” for governing, including wealth taxes and public ownership.Polanski said he was not “ready right now” to become prime minister, given he had only been party leader for eight months, but that he would “certainly be putting in the work” over the next few years.“There’s lots of skills and lots of knowledge to get, and I think that’s fine,” he said.“I’m a human being.
I’m not perfect.”
‘We got a drive-by egging in Baltimore’: Super Furry Animals on making The Man Don’t Give a Fuck
Gruff was the first person I ever met who could just churn out songs – good, catchy ones. I joined his band Ffa Coffi Pawb, but by 1992 they’d split and Gruff and I were living in Cardiff, as were Bunf, Guto and my brother Cian, the other future Furries. We started out doing techno sets, and I had a little home studio where we demoed ideas for songs. Our first singer, the actor Rhys Ifans, slept on a mattress in the corner.I had this Steely Dan album, Countdown to Ecstasy
Arts Council England is focused on investment outside London | Letter
In response to recent letters (26 April) about the Arts Everywhere Fund, it is important to note that this programme was heavily oversubscribed, reflecting the acute need for capital investment across the cultural sector. We are pleased that there will be further rounds of the fund, with details to be published in the coming months.While we are always mindful of the geographic spread of the investment we make, this fund had a clear purpose: to prioritise organisations facing critical capital need. On that basis, the north received more than £40m – approximately 31% of the £128m awarded in total – supporting 45 museums, libraries and cultural organisations, the highest number of awards made to any area.Arts Council England recognises the historic imbalance in cultural funding and has been working to invest more outside London, increasing investment beyond the capital to approximately 70% of our total investment since 2022
Ittai Gradel obituary
With a doctorate in Roman religion and a university chair, Ittai Gradel, who has died of cancer aged 61, might have confined his achievements to a successful scholarly career. However, in 2008, bored with routine bureaucracy, he left his post at Reading University, and returned to his native Denmark to deal in antiquities.His disillusionment with academia was reinforced when, a few years later, he discovered that large-scale thefts had been taking place from the British Museum’s collections. At first reluctant to believe the accumulating evidence, Gradel contacted the museum in 2021 only when it became impossible to deny – and was told nothing was missing.Ill and increasingly impatient, he took his cause to the museum’s trustees, and at last the police were called
Man charged over bomb hoax after Peter Kay show evacuated
A man has been charged over a bomb hoax after a live show by comedian Peter Kay in Birmingham was stopped when a “potentially suspicious bag” was found around the venue.The Utilita Arena Birmingham was evacuated and a 19-year-old man was taken into custody, West Midlands police said on Friday evening.On Saturday, the force said: “A man has been charged in connection with the events which led to the evacuation of the Utilita Arena in Birmingham last night.“Omar Majed, 19, has been charged with false communications relating to a bomb hoax,” a police spokesperson said. “Majed, of Washwood Heath, Birmingham, has been remanded to appear before magistrates in Birmingham on 4 May
Guy Montgomery: ‘One fan took us back to his house and showed us all his guns’
Have you ever won a spelling bee?No! I don’t think I’ve entered any formalised spelling competition. When I was eight or nine, there was a guy who I used to copy during tests. We were doing a spelling test and the word was “vehicle” and he made an absolutely terrible attempt at it. I knew he’d spelled it wrong and was like, wait – have I been copying someone who’s more stupid than me this whole time?Which word do you hate the most?None! That’s crazy! I love all words. They’re just out there, doing their best
‘We have to mock the site’s insanity’: comedian Tim Heidecker on the allure of becoming Infowars’ new boss
If you’ve tuned in to Infowars over the years, you might have heard a very angry man screaming about the 2020 election being stolen for “reanimated corpse” Joe Biden, or chemicals in the water turning frogs gay, or the Sandy Hook school shooting, which killed 20 children and six staff members, being faked. Founded in 1999, Alex Jones’s Infowars has long been a platform for toxic conspiracy theories with real-life consequences, in addition to weird dietary supplements. But if the Onion has its way, the InfoWars of the future will have a very different impact.The satirical newspaper has been working for several years to take over the site, amid legal battles over Jones’s false claims about the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. Pending a Texas court’s approval, the platform could soon be in the hands of the Onion and a newly installed creative director, comedian Tim Heidecker, known for his surreal sketches and mockery of the far right
The problem with RFU’s handling of Six Nations review is that England fans aren’t stupid | Robert Kitson
From the Pocket: uncomfortable questions have rightly been asked of Carlton – their response doesn’t cut it
Timberwolves accuse Wembanyama of goaltending after Spurs star sets NBA playoff block record
Emma Raducanu suddenly withdraws from Italian Open after press conference
Jon Rahm free for 2027 Ryder Cup after striking deal with DP World Tour
Wu Yize cements China’s status as premier snooker force as younger generation takes over