The Green Party says it is investigating allegations a Waltham Forest candidate made antisemitic remarks on a pseudonymous X account.
Brian Capaloff is standing for the Greens in the Hale End & Highams Park South ward in the upcoming local elections on Thursday, 7th May.
Capaloff was linked to an X account under the name Russ, with the handle @c0cteau8, in an article by Jewish News.
One post made by the account said that while the recent Golders Green terror attack may not have been staged, it could serve as a “burning of the Reichstag moment” – which helped Adolf Hitler consolidate power in Germany in 1933 – for “authoritarian and extremist Zionists”.
A spokesperson for the Waltham Forest Greens said it was “aware of the Jewish News article and the concerns raised about the candidate in question”.
“The matter has been referred and is now being investigated,” they wrote.
The branch was responding to an open letter addressed to Green Party leader Zack Polanski by Grace Williams, leader of the Labour-run Waltham Forest Council, published on Tuesday.
She called the comments “dangerous conspiracy theories that echo some of the most harmful antisemitic tropes” and urged Polanski to “act accordingly”.
“You have said that one case of antisemitism is one too many. I agree,” she wrote.
“But those words must be matched by action.”
She demanded Polanski confirm whether Capaloff will be removed as a candidate, explain how he was selected, assure residents “that the 52 other Green party candidates in Waltham Forest were vetted more thoroughly,” and to set out changes he would make to “ensure this cannot happen again”.
The Greens spokesperson said: “Antisemitism is abhorrent. We name it clearly, we take every concern seriously, and we act on it. That is not a statement – it is how we operate.
“We are aware of the Jewish News article and the concerns raised about the candidate in question. The matter has been referred and is now being investigated.
“We are proud to be a party whose leader is Jewish. And we are committed to ensuring Waltham Forest is a place where every community – Jewish, Muslim, and all others – feels safe, valued and represented.”
The @c0cteau8 account references Capaloff by name on several occasions. One X post from 2021 claims authorship of the candidate’s memoirs, according to Jewish News.
Additionally, Capaloff’s own Instagram account – which features his face, name and information about his local candidacy – is under the virtually identical handle @cocteau8.
The Greens are one of several parties vying for control of the town hall in the local elections.
Capaloff has not yet commented on the allegations.
He says he has worked for different local authorities in England and Scotland for most of his professional life, focusing on homelessness.
“I have been frustrated by many aspects of the housing/ homelessness work undertaken by the council, whilst being full of admiration for a highly committed, but constrained staff,” he said in campaigning material.
“I am standing with an intention to ensure that the council fully and effectively enacts its housing responsibilities to those of us in the greatest need.”
He is one of nearly 300 candidates standing in total.
Labour and the Conservatives – who lead the council and form the opposition, respectively – are running full slates of 60 candidates, while the Greens are mounting 53. Reform and the Liberal Democrats are each standing more than 40.
