Green Party prints 'sectarian' leaflets campaigning in six different languages ahead of local elections

Published: 01:56, 5 May 2026 | Updated: 01:56, 5 May 2026 The Green Party has been accused of sectarianism after printing election campaign leaflets with six different languages. Flyers distributed ahead of polling day on Thursday contain the same message written in English, Urdu, Bangla, Turkish, Arabic and Somali. Deputy party leader Mothin Ali is pictured next to the text, which states: 'We must stop Reform and reject Labour. Please vote Green on 7 May.' Mr Ali, who was elected as a councillor for the Gipton and Harehills ward in Leeds in May 2024, has been actively campaigning across the country ahead of polling day. Opponents have accused the party of 'divisive' messaging. One person said on X: 'Appeasing the sectarian vote.' Another added: 'They'll run out of space on their leaflets soon.' But a third person claimed: 'Doesn't trigger me, just goes straight in the bin.' Flyers distributed ahead of polling day on Thursday contain the same message written in English, Urdu, Bangla, Turkish, Arabic and Somali Zack Polanski leader of the Green Party and Mothin Ali deputy leader of the Green Party arrive for the Green Party Conference at Bournemouth International Centre on October 3, 2025 Earlier this year the party came under fire for publishing leaflets in Urdu calling on local voters to 'punish Labour for Gaza' in the Gorton and Denton by-election. A translation of the leaflet stated: '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.' At the time, the party insisted 'not all voters speak English as their first language, so of course Greens wish to be inclusive'. A spokesman added: '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.' Mr Ali denied accusations of sectarianism, saying 'the same slogans have been used to find a message that people can resonate with'. Last week the Daily Mail revealed a Conservative Party candidate had broken party rules on campaigning in a foreign language. Green campaign literature includes Urdu translations of messages including this one insisting it is the only party that can beat Reform UK Your browser does not support iframes. Despite leader Kemi Badenoch promising to ban election candidates from targeting voters with non-English messaging, one of her own candidates in a crucial target council was revealed to have posted multiple social media posts in Arabic. Natalia Awasty, standing in the Church Street ward of Westminster council, had uploaded two videos to Instagram exclusively in the foreign language. The Conservative Party said it had reminded the candidate of the rules and the posts had 'subsequently been removed'. An AI-driven model last week predicted the Labour party would lose control of 50 councils after Thursday's crunch vote. Data insight firm Bombe projected Reform would win the most council seats overall. Nigel Farage's party are forecast to perform particularly well in working-class towns in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and the North of England. They will also enjoy success in some urban wards, including pockets of the Manchester area, Newcastle and across the Midlands, according to the research. Meanwhile, the Greens are predicted to win outright control - or become the largest party - in a number of inner London boroughs. These include Lambeth, Lewisham, Hackney, Southwark and Greenwich while, outside the capital, Zack Polanski's party is also expected to perform well in Manchester, Oxford and Cambridge. Overall, according to the latest Bombe model, Reform will gain control of 14 councils, while the Greens will gain control of eight. The Liberal Democrats are predicted to lose two councils and the Tories will lose three, while there could be a huge increase in the number of councils left under no overall control. 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? 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