UK national newspaper accused of peddling ‘vile’ anti-Semitic imagery

The Times of London has come under fire for circulating “anti-Semitic” imagery after publishing a cartoon targeting Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish and an outspoken critic of Israeli policy.

The controversy came against the backdrop of a broader UK debate about threats that Jewish community is facing, amid heightened pro-Palestinian activism. Polanski has faced criticism from some quarters for allegedly minimizing the risks of anti-Jewish violence that is directed at himself too.

Figures within the Israeli government and pro-Israel voices in Britain have made such claims, with some accusing the Green Party of harboring anti-Semites.

’Misinformed commentary’ on stabbing spree

The controversy follows a stabbing spree last Wednesday in which a Muslim assailant with a history of mental illness injured a Muslim acquaintance and later attacked two random Jewish men. Coverage by major UK outlets, including the BBC, emphasized the Jewish victims.

Polanski drew backlash after sharing, without comment, a video of police responding to the incident in London’s Golders Green, which alleged officers were “repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head.”

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley accused Polanski of spreading “inaccurate and misinformed commentary” that could erode self-confidence in law enforcement. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the implied criticism as “disgraceful,” questioning Polanski’s suitability for political leadership.

’Vile, anti-Semitic’ image

The controversial cartoon, published in the paper’s Sunday edition after being previewed by artist Peter Brookes a day earlier, depicts Polanski kicking a police officer in the head while he and his partner restrain a knife-wielding suspect – an apparent reference to the Golders Green incident.

Critics, including the Green Party itself, argued that Polanski’s portrayal echoed features historically associated with anti-Jewish caricatures.

“A national newspaper has chosen to depict the country’s only Jewish political leader using imagery long linked to anti-Semitic stereotypes,” the party said in a statement, calling the decision “astonishing.” Polanski himself described the cartoon as “vile” and “anti-Semitic” in remarks to Sky News.

Debate over Jewish safety and Israel policy

Last Friday, the UK government raised the national threat level to “severe,” citing the Golders Green attack alongside broader concerns about Islamist and far-right extremism.

On Sunday, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel took aim at Polanski, labeling him an “extremist” and accusing him of “legitimizing violence against Jews,” referencing his sharing of the police video.

Polanski pushed back on the accusation, saying the “death and destruction” by the Israeli government should be properly described as extremist. He also called the UK government’s support for Israel “shameful.”

Echoes of Corbyn’s ouster

Allegations of anti-Semitism have frequently surfaced in UK political debates surrounding criticism of Israel. In 2023, The Guardian cut ties with cartoonist Steve Bell over an image showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wearing boxing gloves while making a Gaza-shaped incision on himself.

Some interpreted it as invoking an anti-Jewish “pound of flesh” trope that serves a plot device in Shakespeare’s play ‘The Merchant of Venice,’ though others argued it referenced a historical anti-Vietnam War caricature of US President Lyndon Johnson.

Claims of entrenched anti-Semitism in the Labour Party during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership led to his ouster and replacement by Starmer in 2020. Recently, Labour MP Steve Reed declared: “Vile racists I witnessed in Corbyn’s Labour are now in the Greens.”