Green Party leader Zack Polanski joined thousands of protestors to condemn Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK yesterday — calling the US president’s royal reception ‘offensive’.
President Trump and the First Lady, Melania, arrived in the UK on Tuesday, staying at Windsor Castle where they subsequently attended a state banquet with King Charles, the Queen, and more than 150 guests yesterday evening.
This was the second ceremonial visit for Trump — he was also received with full state honours in 2019 — making him the first US president to be formally hosted by Britain’s monarch twice.
Polanski told the South West Londoner that, while presidential visits are necessary, the pageantry surrounding Trump’s visit was objectionable.
He said: “We need to have diplomatic and democratic relationships with elected presidents. What we don’t need to do is roll out a red carpet.
“It’s offensive: the pomp and ceremony; the millions of pounds spent on Donald Trump’s ego.”
An estimated 5,000 people attended yesterday’s ‘anti-Trump rally’ in London, marching to Parliament Square where speakers including former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, musician Billy Bragg, and Polanski addressed the crowd.
Polanski became Green Party leader just two weeks ago after being elected by its members on a platform of ‘eco populism’, but has wasted no time in attacking its political rivals.
Since vowing to ‘take the fight to Labour’ during his acceptance speech, he has criticised the party’s handling of issues such as welfare reform, the cost of living crisis, and Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.
The government has called for Israel to end its ground offensive in Gaza and allow humanitarian aid to enter the region, but Polanski stressed that this message is meaningless while the UK continues to supply parts for F-35 fighter jets used in Israel’s bombing campaign.
He said: “I’m disgusted to see the foreign secretary and the prime minister shrug their shoulders, make sad faces, and say they need a ceasefire.
“It’s absurd to say you need a ceasefire at the same time you’re arming the genocide.”
Israel’s foreign ministry has rejected claims the nation is committing genocide, following the publication of a report by a United Nations commission of inquiry which concluded that Israel has committed acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The Greens leader also expressed scepticism over the government’s new ‘tech prosperity deal’, whose announcement coincided with Trump’s UK arrival on Tuesday night.
Under the terms of the deal, major US firms will invest tens of billions of dollars in the UK, ostensibly heralding transatlantic cooperation in sectors such as quantum computing, nuclear energy, and artificial intelligence — though Polanski questioned whether the economic benefits will be felt by ordinary people.
“I’ve not yet seen a convincing argument that any of these data centres are doing the necessary work we need for things like our national health service, for our education system,” he said. “Far too often, what we actually see is a movement of public money to private wealth.
“There are so many other obvious British jobs right now. For instance, insulating every home in Britain that needs it; that could create tens of thousands of British jobs with good pay and dignity in the public sector.”
The Green Party is enjoying a surge in popularity after quadrupling its number of MPs from one to four in last year’s general election, and new polling places it just 4% behind both the Conservative Party and Labour.
Polanski believes the Greens can capitalise on this moment, in part by making the UK’s rising levels of inequality a defining issue for his party.
“It’s about the 99% versus the one percent,” he said. “Working class communities, disabled people, self-employed people, people out of work; we all have so much more in common than the one-percent like Elon Musk — than the multi-millionaires and billionaires who are earning more money in their sleep than any of us could ever imagine.”
The key point, Polanski says, is that inequality affects everyone.
“Whether you live in a town, a city, or the countryside, inequality hurts us everywhere,” he said. “Whether you’re a farmer being screwed over by supermarkets who aren’t paying you properly or you’re a renter needing protection from an unscrupulous landlord.
“These things around inequality are what unite us. It’s about giving a clear message that everyone can get behind.”
The demand for political alternatives to the UK’s two traditional parties is evident; Reform UK leads in the polls, and more than 100,000 people are estimated to have attended Saturday’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march — a rally organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson — in London.
While disillusionment with mainstream politics seems to be growing, Polanski says his job will be to win voters with messages of inclusivity, not division.
“I consider myself a patriot,” he said. “And patriots love their country.
“They want to see public services funded. They want lower bills, particularly for the poorest people, they love their neighbours, and they’re welcoming.
“That’s a part of being proud of your country and who you are.
“Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson are not patriots. And any of us who consider ourselves progressive have a job to do — to reclaim our flag and reclaim patriotism.”
Featured image credit: Ajay Smith
