Green Party leader Zack Polanski said he made an “inadvertent mistake” over a social media image that he shared on Instagram and then removed. The image showed a man wearing a black T-shirt with the message “We’re only making plans for Nigel” and an image of a guillotine.
Reform UK reported Mr Polanski to the police, with home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf accusing the Green leader of “inciting murder” and Nigel Farage calling for his arrest.
Police Inquiries
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the force was “conducting inquiries” and took “reports of this nature extremely seriously”. Mr Polanski told BBC Newsnight on Tuesday evening that the police had not been in contact with him, adding that he “didn’t pay enough attention to the T-shirt” and was “horrified” by its “dangerous message”.
Polanski’s Explanation
The Green Party leader said: “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. As soon as I was aware of what happened, I unaccepted it and took it down.” He said it would be “odd” for the police to speak to him about what he described as an inadvertent mistake, but he would co-operate if they did.
Mr Polanski said he would not apologise to Mr Farage, adding: “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.”
He added: “If Nigel Farage wants to apologise for all the times that he’s put other people in danger, then I’ll be happy to make an apology.”
Reactions from Reform UK and Others
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.”
Writing in the Daily Mail, Mr Farage said the Green Party leader “must face the consequences of his appalling decisions”. He wrote: “Political violence is real. It is serious. It needs dealing with.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said there was “a duty on all politicians to be careful about what they post”, especially in light of the death of former MP Ann Widdecombe earlier this month. Mr McFadden told Sky News people could “make mistakes” and it was for the police to decide. He added: “It’s not the first time Zack Polanski has done something like this.”
Mr Polanski has previously been criticised over his use of social media. In May, he apologised for sharing a post criticising the police response to the Golders Green stabbings, saying he had done so “in haste”.
