Green Party leader Zack Polanski has apologised after sharing a social media post that criticised police officers who apprehended the Golders Green suspect. The post accused officers of heavy-handedness as they pinned terror suspect Essa Suleiman to the ground following an unprovoked stabbing attack on two Jewish people in north London. Officers also feared the suspect may have been carrying a bomb.
Polanski's Apology
In a statement released this afternoon, Polanski said: 'Everyone in leadership has a responsibility for lowering the temperature at a time of such tension, and I apologise for sharing a tweet in haste. 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.' He added that he has invited Met Commissioner Mark Rowley to meet and discuss the police response and wider issues raised in Rowley's letter.
Condemnation from Rowley and Starmer
Both Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Polanski's criticism, stating it 'undermined' the heroism of the officers. Sir Mark said: 'Unless you've been in that moment where you're scared stiff and you're confronting somebody so dangerous, it's hard to put yourself in that situation. I need my officers to have confidence to tackle the most difficult and dangerous individuals. If an eminent person wants to thoughtlessly step into that and undermine their confidence to act, then I'm going to deal with that.'
Background of the Incident
The incident occurred in Golders Green, a north London suburb, where two Jewish people were stabbed in an unprovoked attack. Officers apprehended the suspect, Essa Suleiman, who was also suspected of having a bomb. The post shared by Polanski on X claimed the two policemen were 'violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head'.
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