Zack Polanski has refused to apologise after he shared an image on Instagram featuring a man in a T-shirt that appeared to threaten Nigel Farage. The Green Party leader also accused Farage of being 'fundamentally dishonest' in his response and said he had been put in a 'dangerous spot' due to Reform's reaction.
Polanski said he inadvertently accepted a collaboration post on the social media site without reviewing all the pictures. Among them was a portrait of a man in a shirt with a guillotine and the slogan: 'We're only making plans for Nigel.' Reform UK responded furiously, calling it a threat to their leader's life and reporting Polanski to the police.
Farage demands arrest
Farage said: 'If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski.' The Metropolitan Police stated: 'We take reports of this nature extremely seriously, and officers are conducting enquiries into the matter.'
Polanski defends his actions
Appearing on Newsnight, Polanski declined to apologise, saying he did not need to as it was not deliberate. He said: 'If I’d done it deliberately, I’d be apologising. But because this was a mistake, I think the important thing is that I point out it’s a mistake, that I also make sure that I condemn political violence, and also – crucially – I make a commitment to be better on my social media.'
The Green leader added that the picture 'got less than 1,000 likes' initially and has now had 3.2 million views. He accused Farage of cropping the screenshot to make it look like he posted it himself, calling it 'fundamentally dishonest'. Polanski accepted responsibility for accepting the collaboration but criticised the police report and language of incitement to murder as putting him in danger.
