The Green Party is being blasted over its 'sectarian' by-election campaign in Gorton and Denton ahead of polling day.
Both Zack Polanski, the Green leader, and Hannah Spencer, the party's by-election candidate, have been criticised for speaking to an 'extremist' Muslim media platform.
The party has also come under fire for publishing leaflets in Urdu calling on local voters to 'punish Labour for Gaza'.
The Gorton and Denton by-election is being fiercely contested by the Greens, Labour and Reform UK, with local voters heading to polling stations from 7am on Thursday.
The contest in the Greater Manchester seat was triggered by the resignation of former Labour minister Andrew Gwynne from the House of Commons.
A defeat for Labour in the by-election to either the Greens or Reform will likely plunge Sir Keir Starmer's premiership into a fresh crisis.
The Prime Minister last month dramatically blocked Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, seen as a likely replacement for Sir Keir, from being Labour's candidate.
The Greens have emerged as the bookies' favourite to win the three-way contest in Gorton and Denton.
Both Zack Polanski, the Green leader, and Hannah Spencer, the party's by-election candidate (pictured), have been criticised for speaking to the 5Pillars media platform
Green campaign literature includes Urdu translations of messages including this one insisting it is the only party that can beat Reform UK
But the party's campaign has attracted criticism after Mr Polanski, Ms Spencer and Mothin Ali, the party's deputy leader, all appeared in a video by 5Pillars.
5Pillars, which describes itself as a Muslim community media platform, was twice reprimanded by press regulator Impress in 2024 over interviews in which far-Right figures made anti-Semitic and homophobic comments.
At the time, Impress said the comments had been met with 'insufficient challenge'.
The Greens have also been hit by a row over 'sectarian' leaflets in Urdu calling on local voters to 'punish Labour for Gaza' in the by-election.
A translation of the leaflet states: 'Give the faltering walls a push. Labour must be punished for Gaza.
'We have to defeat Reform and vote for the Greens. To give the Muslims a strong voice, give your vote to the Greens.'
A Green spokesperson said: 'Not all voters speak English as their first language, so of course Greens wish to be inclusive.
'Our approach has been praised by locals who love their diverse community.
'Greens have been outspoken about the Labour Government's foreign policy failure over Gaza, and it is well known that many voters wish to send a message to Labour at this by-election for very many reasons.'
Senior Tory MP Neil O'Brien said: 'The Greens benefit from an unfair perception that they are 'sandal-wearing hippies' when in reality they are a mix of really sinister commies and really sinister Islamists.'
Labour peer Lord Katz attacked the Greens' 'sectarian' approach to campaigning.
But Mr Ali on Monday denied the accusations of 'sectarianism' in the Greens' campaign leaflets, telling The Canary website: 'We've used English, we've used Banlga, we've used Arabic - trying to make this campaign as inclusive as possible.
'We've tried to appeal to people form all kinds of backgrounds, Some of the slogans are based off Bangladeshi or Pakistani typical political slogans.
'The same slogans have been used to find a message that people can resonate with. That's just about inclusivity.'
The Green Party had initially promoted Mr Polanski's interview with 5Pillars on social media, but subsequently deleted its post.
Asked about the interview on Friday, Mr Polanski said: 'Where people don't reflect those values, those are people that I won't consider speaking to again.
'At the same time, I have microphones put in my face all the time. I don't always know who I'm talking to.'
He added: 'It won't escape your attention that I'm a Jewish gay man.
'In fact, I'm one of five Jewish people who have ever been in leadership positions in British political history, so I take antisemitism really seriously.
'I obviously take homophobia seriously as I take Islamophobia or any form of hate crime or racism seriously and it's really important that's the first place we start.'
A Green Party spokesperson said: 'At a busy action day, Green representatives spoke freely to everyone there who wanted to hear from them.
'No one viewing the interviews could possibly conclude there was anything anti-Semitic about their interviews.'
A spokesperson for the Jewish Labour Movement said: '5 Pillars should not be touched with a barge pole.
'With a history of outright anti-Semitism, homophobia and extremism, no political party aiming to become mainstream should be anywhere near them.'
Lord Walney, the crossbench peer who is co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Defending Democracy, said: 'This hate-filled sectarianism is the dark reality behind the Greens' shiny progressive veneer.
'Like so much of the far-Left, they are falling into bed with Islamists who hate our country rather than offering any hope for the future.'
5Pillars editor Roshan Salih did not comment in detail on the interview, but said there was 'a campaign now to destroy the Green vote in Gorton and Denton because it's clear that they stand a good chance of winning'.
He added: 'Forces intent on damaging the Greens want to undermine their support base by amplifying these types of stories.'
As well as being censured twice in 2024, 5Pillars was reprimanded by Impress in 2021 after its deputy editor said same-sex relations were a 'crime against god'.
The outlet left Impress in November 2024, saying the regulator was 'run by liberals whose values are not compatible with Islamic norms' and had received repeated complaints 'especially from our detractors in the pro-Israel and pro-LGBT lobby'.
