Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader, has refused to apologise to Nigel Farage after sharing an Instagram post that included a picture of a man wearing a T-shirt depicting a guillotine with the slogan 'We're only making plans for Nigel'. Polanski said he inadvertently accepted a collaboration post without reviewing all the images, and accused Farage of being 'fundamentally dishonest' in his reaction.
Polanski claims mistake, condemns political violence
In an appearance on BBC's Newsnight, Polanski declined to apologise directly to Farage, stating that the post was not deliberate. '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,' Polanski said.
He noted that the original post received fewer than 1,000 likes before being shared widely, accumulating 3.2 million views. Polanski argued that Farage had cropped the screenshot to make it appear as though Polanski himself had posted the image, which he called 'fundamentally dishonest'.
Reform UK reports Polanski to police
Reform UK responded furiously, reporting Polanski to the Metropolitan Police and claiming the post represented a threat to Farage's life. Farage stated: 'If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski.' The Metropolitan Police said on Monday: 'We take reports of this nature extremely seriously, and officers are conducting enquiries into the matter.'
Polanski says he feels endangered by reaction
Polanski expressed concern that the escalation of the issue, including the police report and accusations of incitement to murder, had put him in a 'dangerous spot'. He accepted responsibility for not vetting the collaboration post but emphasised the need to condemn political violence and improve his social media practices.
