Police are conducting enquiries after Reform UK accused Green Party leader Zack Polanski of inciting murder over a social media image. The image, now unshared, showed a man wearing a black T-shirt with the message "We're only making plans for Nigel" next to a guillotine.
Reform UK accuses Polanski
Nigel Farage called for Polanski's arrest, writing on X: "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 home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf accused Polanski of "inciting murder", adding that sharing the image weeks after the death of Ann Widdecombe was "staggering". He said: "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."
Senior minister comments
DWP Secretary Pat McFadden told Sky News: "I think we're all bearing in mind what's recently happened to Ann Widdecombe, the most appalling murder of a former politician, and I think that gives a duty on all politicians to be careful about what they post, what they share. I think we've all got a duty to do that in the online world. People can make mistakes. It's for the police to decide if there's any further action to be taken. I think there's a duty on all of us, in all political parties, to just be careful about what we post or share."
Police confirm inquiry
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson 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."
Green Party response
The Green Party said 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 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."
