‘Dancing is resistance’: Zack Polanski and the Greens bring the party to the ravers
It was a Sunday evening at one of Leeds’ biggest nightclubs, hot and humid, like walking into a jungle.
It was a Sunday evening at one of Leeds’ biggest nightclubs, hot and humid, like walking into a jungle. Dancers pulsated shoulder to shoulder along with the music, riding the optimism of a good night out to come.
But the 2,000-plus crowd gathered at Beaver Works were not only there to enjoy house music and abandon themselves to whatever the evening held, they were there to support the local branch of their favourite political party.
In a swirl of emerald disco lights, Zack Polanski stepped on to the stage in the main club room to deafening roars from the crowd.
“Hey Leeds, how are you doing?” the Green party leader shouted, over rapturous cheers. “Are you ready to make hope normal again?”
He declared that “joy is resistance, community is resistance, and you know what, dancing is resistance”.
“We know right across the country this is our moment to gather together and recognise it is time to tax the rich. Our problems are not coming over here by small boat, they are flying overhead,” he continued, the conclusion of his diagnosis of the country’s ills drowned out by cheering.
At the end of his short speech, Polanski jumped down from the stage as a remix of Rhythm of the Night pumped out, and was immediately mobbed for selfies as he danced with the crowd.
These scenes, also streamed across social media, may make uneasy viewing for other parties, particularly Labour, which has haemorrhaged support to the Greens under Polanski’s leadership.
The fervour was reminiscent of Jeremy Corbyn at his peak a decade ago, when a crowd at Glastonbury chanted his name, though Polanski appeared considerably less bewildered by his popularity and more in tune with his audience. A more timely comparison could be to the adoration surrounding Zohran Mamdani, though Polanski is still many leagues from the unbridled support for the Democratic mayor of New York.
However, the rapid expansion of the party has not come without its problems. Some local election candidates have faced allegations of antisemitism, and Polanski has previously admitted his party may have to “distance itself from the odd candidate” as it grows at a record pace.
Polanski said that while using a rave to rally political support inevitably has its detractors, the event “really works”.
“I think it works both in fundraising but also the fact that the biggest thing we’re lacking right now is that sense of community,” he said. “And actually an evening where people can come, hear poetry, see art, have a dance, that is resistance. I think that’s so important right now.”
He dismissed what he saw as a “gatekeeping” approach from traditional parties, and called for more fun in politics.
“If you just look at Westminster, the way it’s designed always to look like Eton or a very expensive private school, [it] says this is for a particular type of person,” he said.
“I think what these [nightclub] parties do is bring politics into the community and say you can have fun, you’re here to enjoy yourself. And there’s some politics peppered in here too and I think that’s a way of livening up politics. It still is about really serious issues but you can take on really serious issues using joy, community and resistance.”
Laura Edwards, who travelled from Sheffield for the event, said she joined the Green party last summer, “because of Zack Polanski, obviously”.
“He’s so right to be talking about creativity, especially in a world that seems to be trying to break people down all the time.
“He’s made such an impact so quickly, especially with the younger generation who did really need hope, and I think he is really bringing that hope for all of us, so I’m not surprised at all at how many people are here.”
More than 2,100 tickets priced from £11 were sold to the event, with the profits going directly to the local party, said the organisers Niall Moore and Felix Faillace, with a further 100 people volunteering to help put the night on and 35 artists performing.
The pair, who were responsible for a similar Green party club night at the LGBTQ club Heaven in London in January, said it was about engaging people in politics in a way that “isn’t about door-knocking”.
Moore said both the Leeds and London events were organised as a counter to the “negative politics coming out of negative emotions” and were a way of harnessing a movement coming out of the Green party. “The energy was there, latent, and we’ve just given it an outlet,” he said.
“We’ve been absolutely blown away by the response,” Faillace said, adding that nights in other cities would be coming too.
Moore and Faillace estimated the event raised £16,000 for the Leeds Greens, who are expecting to see some gains at the local elections, where 36 of the 99 seats are up for grabs.
The Greens are putting resources into the younger, urban areas of the city where local campaigners think they can snatch seats from Labour, which holds a solid majority.
If raves prove to translate into votes, Polanski thinks other political parties may attempt to mimic it. “We might start to see them try [to put on their own].”
“I’d almost encourage it because I think it would be good if more people are getting involved with politics,” he added.
But if Reform or the Conservatives threw a club night would anyone come? “No, I don’t think they would but they can prove me wrong.”
