The Green Party is investigating claims that nearly 20 of its election candidates have shared “anti-Semitic” material online, it has emerged.
Officials are examining a dossier of evidence including social media posts which appear to voice conspiracy theories about the October 7 terror attack by Hamas.
It comes just hours before Friday’s deadline for MP hopefuls who want to stand on July 4 to submit their papers with the Electoral Commission.
Jewish groups said the revelations showed the Greens, who are on course for their best-ever result, needed to crack down on anti-Semitism.
The Times first reported the details of the dossier, giving examples of some of the posts put on social media from accounts of Green Party candidates.
They included one candidate whose account on X, formerly Twitter, on October 7 included a post that “there is no peace without freedom. Resist”.
In a separate post on the same account it added: “You don’t have to be neutral when it comes to apartheid, colonisation and genocide.”
That day Hamas had launched the deadliest ever terrorist attack on Israel, killing more than 1,100 people and taking 250 hostages back to Gaza.
When two Royal Navy vessels were later sent to the region in a show of support for Israel the candidate responded by posting: “I hope they sink.”
Another candidate, also on X, described Hamas rocket attacks on Israel as “Palestine defending itself as it is legally allowed to”.
They separately shared a post appearing to support a pro-Gaza protest outside Auschwitz, writing: “It’s because never again means never again.”
Two accounts belonging to candidates independently shared the conspiracy theory that Israel had been behind the October 7 attacks as a “false flag” so it could invade Gaza.
A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The more that we learn about Green Party candidates and newly-elected councillors, the more concerned we become.
“There appears to be an obsession with Israel and Gaza, comparing the Jewish state to Nazis, justifying the barbaric October 7 attacks carried out by Hamas, an anti-Semitic terror organisation, labelling Zionism as ‘cancer’ and antisemitism-denial. How is this fostering good communal relations?
“Either the Green Party is not vetting its candidates properly, or its vetting is such that candidates with views like these are actually what the party is looking for.
“Neither is reassuring at all, and neither is acceptable in the post-EHRC report era.”
It comes with the Greens currently polling at around 7pc, which would put the party on course for its best-ever election result.
The party already holds one seat in Brighton and is hoping to add another by taking the scalp of Labour frontbencher Thangham Debbonaire in Bristol.
In recent times, the Greens have attracted a number of disaffected former Labour activists who had joined that party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
They performed well in last month’s local elections and are now the largest party on 10 councils including Bristol, Hastings and East Hertfordshire.
A spokesman for the party said: “The allegations raised are serious and are being treated as such.
“At this stage it would be inappropriate for us to comment further on the examples raised.
“A full list of all Green Party parliamentary candidates will be published on Friday and the final list is still being decided.”
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