A spate of antisemitic attacks have capped the end of a bitter campaign already shaped by public opinion on Gaza.
Noah Keate
“Lots of people feel very strongly, both about their local services as they should do and feel equally strongly about the fact that there’s a reprehensible genocide happening,” he said.
The extra scrutiny facing the Greens in recent days does appear to be having an impact — and not in the direction Polanski wants.
A YouGov poll published Wednesday of 2,377 British adults conducted on May 4 and 5 found 47 percent had an unfavorable view of Polanski — his worst rating since becoming leader, and up eight points from 39 percent in a previous poll on April 28 and 29. Just 22 percent had a favorable view.
The pollster noted negativity towards the Green leader rose the most among voters who backed rival parties at the 2024 election, including the Lib Dems and the Tories.
Sunder Katwala, director of the British Future think tank, said: “Green candidates who campaign on Gaza seek expressive support for issues that local councillors have limited influence over.” Muslim voters concerned about Gaza are not one monolithic group but instead fragmented by generation and geography, he also noted.
“National leaders and local candidates share the responsibility to make clear the boundaries between politics, protest and prejudice — and accept the responsibility of local government to serve residents of all ethnicities and faiths even in politically polarized times,” he added.
