Police are conducting inquiries into an image shared by Green party leader Zack Polanski on Instagram after Reform UK reported it for inciting murder. The image showed a man wearing a black T-shirt with the words “we’re only making plans for Nigel” alongside a photograph of a guillotine.
Farage reports post to police
Nigel Farage shared a screenshot of the image on X and wrote: “This is what Zack Polanski has just posted on his Instagram. If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski.” Reform UK’s spokesperson for home affairs, Zia Yusuf, said Polanski was “inciting murder”, and that sharing the image weeks after the death of former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe, who was murdered in her home in Devon, was “staggering”.
Green party response
A Green party spokesperson said that Polanski “condemns the image on the T-shirt” and accepted being tagged in a post with 20 images “without realising there was more to it than he had seen”. The spokesperson added: “The T-shirt is clearly in poor taste, especially at a time of heightened fears for the security of public figures, having experienced multiple threats himself [Polanski]. He and the Green party call on everyone involved in public discourse to show kindness and not encourage more division.”
Police investigation
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan police said: “Earlier today, we received a third-party report relating to an image shared on social media. We take reports of this nature extremely seriously, and officers are conducting inquiries into the matter.” According to the BBC, Polanski has not been contacted by the police.
Background and context
The image, which has since been removed from Polanski’s Instagram account, was shared in a collaborative post with other accounts as part of a carousel of images from a Green party event on Sunday. The words on the T-shirt come from “Making Plans for Nigel”, a song by English rock band XTC released in 1979. A website selling the T-shirt for £20 stated: “Whether it’s a nod to old punk music or a sharper bit of political satire, this design is for those who prefer their statements with a side of mystery.” Last week, prosecutors told a court that a man allegedly hit Widdecombe 21 times over the head with a hammer in a “planned and targeted” attack. Earlier this month, Andy Burnham said that a serious review is needed into MP security after the murder of Ann Widdecombe.
