The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, has criticised Green Party leader Zack Polanski for sharing an “inaccurate and misinformed” social media post about the arrest of a terror suspect in Golders Green. In a letter to Mr Polanski, Sir Mark said the post could have a “chilling effect” on policing and expressed disappointment that the politician had chosen to publicly criticise the officers involved.
The post, which Mr Polanski retweeted, accused police of “repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head” after he had been tasered. Sir Mark defended the officers, describing them as “nothing short of extraordinary” and warning that without their actions, the outcome could have been far worse. He added: “London’s Jewish communities are scared... They expect our officers to act, protect them. That is exactly what our officers did yesterday.”
Video footage released by the Metropolitan Police shows the suspect, a 45-year-old Somali-born British national, advancing towards officers with a knife before being tasered and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The officers can be heard shouting “drop the knife” and “get down on the ground” as the suspect is pinned face-down. A plain-clothed man eventually removed the knife from the suspect’s hand.
Mr Polanski has also accused the Labour government of “using Jewish pain” to justify an “authoritarian” agenda, including potential bans on pro-Palestinian marches. A Green Party spokesperson said Mr Polanski “doesn’t know the full picture” but called for more understanding of the police response. The police watchdog has confirmed it has not yet received a referral regarding the arrest.
