Green Party's Comms Expert Denies Israel Rapes

0:00This is your UK News update for March 1st, brought to you by NordVPN, fast, reliable, online privacy. Links in the episode description. The Green Party's leader, Zack Polanski, recently hired a new communications expert named Abby Wilkinson, right before the party's win in a local. By election, she's drawn fire for social media posts denying that any rapes happened during the October 7th Hamas attacks in Israel where militants killed. For 1,100 people, and so 250 hostages, Wilkinson claimed no Israeli women have come forward as victims, and that there's no real evidence. She doubled down in other posts, saying she wouldn't pretend nonexistent proof was real, even as witnesses, Israeli officials, UN experts, and groups. Supporting the victims point to clear signs of sexual violence, including gang rapes. Many victims were killed or too traumatized to speak, and some hostages later described being treated as sex slaves.

1:00Labor members of parliament, including a rapes survivor in the chair of a group fighting anti-Semitism, slammed her words as repulsive and dangerous. They say denying these atrocities dishonors victims spreads anti-Semitic ideas and heightened fears in Jewish communities across Britain. Calls are growing for the Green Party to fire her immediately. Wilkinson, a 35-year-old who worked at a left-wing media site and wrote for a major newspaper has a history of harsh online criticism of Israel. She compared its actions to Nazi policies and shared disturbing images of Jewish people. This isn't the party's first brush with anti-Semitism claims. Its deputy leader once insulted a rabbi and candidates face probes over similar issues. The party has stayed silent on her role so far, even as members push for stances at their spring conference that labels Zionism as racism and back.