Jewish leaders warn of Green candidates' views as eco warriors spout hate for Israel, but love Putin

Published: 22:31, 17 April 2026 | Updated: 22:58, 17 April 2026 Jewish leaders warned on Friday that the Greens are fielding candidates with views that 'have no place in British politics'. Former doctor Philip Brookes suggested victims of the terror attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 'were not innocent', while Tony Gair has defended Vladimir Putin and spread pro-Kremlin conspiracy theories. The Greens have struggled to vet more than 4,500 candidates for council elections on May 7. Dr Brookes wrote on Facebook that those who 'steal somebody else's home... are not a "civilian". And damn sure you are not "innocent"'. The candidate for Manor Park, Newcastle, made the post on the second anniversary of the attacks. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said: 'Someone who shares and likes posts that are hateful and threatening to Jews has no place in British politics.' Dr Brookes's comments were later deleted. Mr Gair, who is standing in Bede, South Tyneside, condemned the ousting of Ukraine's Pro-Russian government in September 2014. He also claimed Russian defector Sergei Skripal, whom Russia tried to poison in Salisbury in March 2018, had really been targeted by the then prime minister, Theresa May, to cover up for alleged failures of Brexit. Dr Philip Brookes said in a Facebook post that those who 'steal somebody else's home... are not a "civilian". And damn sure you are not "innocent"'. The Green Party said the views expressed by Dr Brookes and Mr Gair did not reflect its policy. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.