The Metropolitan Police have confirmed they are investigating an Instagram post that appeared to call for the beheading of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. The post was shared by Green Party member Zack Polanski before being removed.
Farage calls for arrest
Nigel Farage had earlier called for Polanski to be arrested, sharing a copy of the post on X (formerly Twitter) and stating: "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."
The post showed a man wearing a rainbow cap and a black T-shirt featuring a guillotine, with the caption: "We're only making plans for Nigel". It was liked more than 600 times on Instagram before being removed.
Green Party response
A Green Party spokesperson said: "After attending a public event, Zack accepted a request to collaborate on a post with several images. Once this image was brought to his attention he immediately unshared the post. He unequivocally does not support this type of dangerous message."
Police investigation
Scotland Yard confirmed they received a third-party report on Monday, July 27. A Met Police spokesperson said: "We take reports of this nature extremely seriously, and officers are conducting enquiries into the matter."
The post came two weeks after the killing of former Conservative minister and Daily Express columnist Ann Widdecombe. Her alleged attacker, Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, appeared in court on July 21 charged with her murder. He did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody until an appearance at the Old Bailey on October 9.
Reform UK reports to police and Assembly
Reform UK's home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, said the party had reported the Instagram post to the police and also reported the Green Party leader to the monitoring officer of the London Assembly, of which Polanski is a member. In a video posted on X, Yusuf urged followers to consider what would happen if Farage acted similarly, saying: "It would obviously never happen because that's not who Nigel is. But I want you to consider what the consequences would be if he did. Well, given Reform have reported Zach Polanski for incitement to the police, we're extremely interested to see how the authorities respond."
