Green Party leader Zack Polanski has said he made an "inadvertent mistake" by sharing an Instagram post featuring a T-shirt with a guillotine image and the phrase "we're only making plans for Nigel", but he repeatedly declined to apologise to Nigel Farage.
Polanski told BBC Newsnight he accepted a collaboration request from a photographer, with a set of 20 images. The fifth image showed the T-shirt. He said: "As soon as I was aware of what happened, I unaccepted it and took it down."
No apology to Farage
Polanski ruled out apologising, stating: "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 make a commitment to be better on my social media."
Reform UK reported Polanski to the Metropolitan Police. Home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf accused him of "inciting murder", and Nigel Farage called for his arrest. The Met said it was "conducting inquiries" and takes such reports "extremely seriously".
Polanski criticises Farage
Polanski criticised Farage's messaging, saying: "If Nigel Farage wants to apologise for all the times that he's put other people in danger than I'll be happy to make an apology." Writing in the Daily Mail, Farage said Polanski must "face the consequences of his appalling decisions", adding: "Political violence is real, it is serious, it needs dealing with."
Polanski insisted: "This was not my post, it was a collaboration from a photographer. It had 20 images and I just didn't look carefully enough and I accepted it. ... I think it would be odd for the police to speak to me about that because I think it's quite obvious that I've not done anything wrong other than making an inadvertent mistake."
Reform UK response
A Reform UK source told BBC Newsnight: "It's truly astonishing and quite frankly sickening that Zack Polanski won't apologise for inciting murder. He admits it was wrong. He admits it's dangerous, but he still refuses to apologise. Mr Polanski is not fit to lead a national political party."
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said all politicians have "a duty to be careful about what they post". He noted people can make mistakes and it was for police to decide on action, adding: "It's not the first time Zack Polanski has done something like this."
Previous controversy
In May, Polanski apologised for sharing a post on X critical of police after the Golders Green stabbings. He retweeted a post alleging officers were "repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head" while he was incapacitated. When asked why he appeared on TV to highlight his mistake but not apologise, Polanski said: "They're different mistakes. This time I've inadvertently accepted something and as soon as I've realised I've corrected it."
Polling impact
One national opinion poll this week showed the Greens' score falling by three percentage points, while a second showed the party holding at 13%, well above the level before Polanski became leader last September.
