Police are “conducting inquiries” into an image shared on social media, after Reform UK reported Green Party leader Zack Polanski over a picture on his Instagram.
The image, which was subsequently unshared from Mr Polanski’s account, featured a man wearing a black T-shirt with the message “We’re only making plans for Nigel” and an image of a guillotine.
Farage demands action
Sharing a screenshot of the image, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage wrote on social media: “This is what Zack Polanski has just posted on his instagram.“If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski.”
Reform UK’s spokesperson for home affairs Zia Yusuf said Mr Polanski was “inciting murder”, adding that sharing the image weeks after the death of Ann Widdecombe was “staggering”.
Prosecutors told a court last week that a man allegedly hit the Reform UK spokeswoman and former Tory minister 21 times over the head with a hammer in a “planned and targeted” attack.
Green Party response
The Green Party said Mr Polanski “condemns the image on the T-shirt” and clicked accept to be tagged in a post with 20 images “without realising there was more to it than he had seen”.
A Green Party spokesperson said: “Zack condemns the image on the T-shirt. He was tagged in a post with 20 images and clicked accept without realising there was more to it than he had seen.“The T-shirt is clearly in poor taste, especially at a time of heightened fears for the security of public figures having experienced multiple threats himself.“He and the Green Party call on everyone involved in public discourse to show kindness and not encourage more division.”
Metropolitan Police statement
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “Earlier today – Monday, 27 July – we received a third-party report relating to an image shared on social media.“We take reports of this nature extremely seriously, and officers are conducting inquiries into the matter.”
Reform UK’s spokesperson for home affairs Mr Yusuf wrote on social media: “Zack Polanski has posted to his 713k Instagram followers a photo of a man in a T-shirt calling for the beheading of Nigel Farage.“Polanski is inciting murder. It must be treated as such by the police.”
Making Plans For Nigel is a song by English rock band XTC, released as the lead single from their 1979 album Drums And Wires.
A post on a website appearing to sell the T-shirt for £20 stated: “Who could Nigel be? And why the guillotine?“Whether it’s a nod to old punk music or a sharper bit of political satire, this design is for those who prefer their statements with a side of mystery.”
