Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader, has made a false claim about the Golders Green attack suspect, stating the man was handcuffed when video evidence shows he was still armed with a knife. The comment was made on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme on Wednesday as Polanski defended his criticism of police officers who apprehended the alleged attacker.
Polanski had shared a social media post criticising officers after footage showed them repeatedly kicking a man, believed to be the suspect, in the head after he had been tasered. On the programme, he told presenter Nick Robinson: 'Two things can be true at the same time: officers are incredibly brave when they run towards scenes of crimes that most people, including myself, will want to run away from. At the same time, I think it is accurate, and that I was also traumatised by seeing someone handcuffed and repeatedly kicked in the head.'
The widely circulated video shows the man not in handcuffs, with officers appearing to shout 'drop the knife' several times. Social media commentators quickly pointed out the error. Mark Wallace, chief executive of Total Politics, wrote: 'This isn't right. The attacker wasn't handcuffed, he was still holding a knife.'
Robinson did not challenge Polanski on the claim, instead rebuking him for failing to answer why he chose to 'empathise with the attacker' over officers who 'feared for their own lives and were trying to protect other people'. Polanski's response to the stabbing of two Jewish men in north London last week was condemned by politicians across parties and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.
Polanski later apologised for 'sharing a tweet in haste', adding: 'Police responses to emergency situations such as these do need later reflection in the right forums, but I accept that social media is not the appropriate channel for doing so.' Since becoming leader in September 2025, Polanski, 43, has led the Greens to record polling levels and a by-election victory in Manchester, but his approval rating has fallen following the controversy.
A survey by More in Common shows Polanski's overall rating dropped from -13% to -27%, a 14-point decline in the last week. He now trails Reform UK's Nigel Farage, though remains ahead of Sir Keir Starmer at -45%. Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common, said the shift indicates the Golders Green backlash has 'very definitely cut through' ahead of Thursday's local elections.
