'Racist dogwhistles': Greens condemn Labour over claim they are 'manipulating Muslims'
Green Party parliamentary candidate Hannah Spencer has condemned Labour for using "racist dogwhistles" after senior government figures claimed the Greens were "manipulating" Muslim voters and "whipping up hatred" on the eve of the crucial Gorton and Denton by-election.
After a Green Party campaign video in Urdu went viral earlier this week, deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell accused the party of a "shameful attempt to manipulate the respected Muslim community".
Hannah Spencer, the Green candidate in Gorton and Denton, hit back, telling Middle East Eye: "Gorton and Denton is a beautifully diverse constituency, with thousands of residents who speak languages other than English.
"I’m proud of our campaign, and of this video, which has been positive, inclusive and focused on the issues that matter most to local people: brringing down rents and bills, proper investment in public services, and rebuilding our NHS.
"It’s disappointing to see Labour resort to racist dogwhistles and the desperate claim that issuing campaign materials in languages other than English is ‘whipping up hatred’."
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Powell had accused the Green campaign of being "desperate" and said "Labour is the only serious contender that will beat Reform."
The Green's deputy leader, Mothin Ali, added that Labour were "desperate" and felt they had a "right" to Muslim votes.
"That attitude led to those very communities being taken for granted and the subsequent rise of the far right," he told MEE.
"Labour have been outflanked on the left and the right," he continued.
"They try to out 'Reform' Reform and with a bunch of policies including on Gaza and student loans, [they] have managed to alienate their base; students, Muslims, and ordinary working-class communities."
'Happy to weaponise racism'
Meanwhile, The Times quoted an unnamed senior cabinet minister saying: "The Greens are whipping up hatred and deliberately raising the salience of Gaza. They’re hammering us."
Spencer said: "The Labour Party know they’re out of this race, and they know a Green win will be 'existential'.
More than 40 percent of the population in Gorton and Denton are ethnic minorities and over one in four are Muslim.
The Greens have campaigned on a range of issues in the constituency including on the cost of living, rent control and the NHS.
The party has also repeatedly criticised the Labour government for cooperating militarily and politically with Israel throughout its genocide in Gaza - including by sharing intelligence from Royal Air Force surveillance flights over Gaza.
Over the past few years the Greens have opposed Israel's actions in Gaza and accused Israel of genocide, urging a full arms embargo on the country.
On Tuesday the Greens responded to outrage over its campaign video in Urdu by releasing a new video in Bangla.
The right wing trolls hated seeing our campaign video in Urdu.
— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) February 24, 2026
So here it is in Bangla instead.
I love our party! 💚🙌🏼 https://t.co/contmwgRqq
The by-election in Gorton and Denton is considered a tight contest between the Greens, Reform UK and Labour.
Reform candidate Matt Goodwin has a record of making controversial statements about Islam, Muslims and ethnicity.
On Wednesday he said: "If you want an MP who will obsess over Gaza, prioritise the Muslim vote, and put some communities before others then vote Green.
"But if you want an MP who will prioritise the people of Gorton & Denton then vote Reform."
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