Green Party candidate for London Mayor blocks letter praising brave Golders Green police officers

The Green Party’s former London Mayor candidate blocked a letter praising police for responding to an anti-Semitic stabbing attack in Golders Green last month.

Zoe Garbett, who will be elected as a member of the London Assembly in 2024, said she ‘cannot support’ the City Hall’s proposed letter to the Metropolitan Police.

The letter, written by the committee’s Labor chair, Marina Ahmad, sought to thank brave officers for their ‘swift response’ to the attacks on 29 April.

However, due to an objection from a Green Party councillor, the letter could not be sent to Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley as all members had to accept its text.

In footage released of the Golders Green arrest, the Hackney council leader said it ‘looked like two police officers kicking the attacker after he was tasered to the head’.

He later added: ‘‘We need to try to understand whether officers are following the correct protocols.’

Labour’s policing minister Sarah Jones described the Green Party councilor’s objection as a ‘slap in the face’ of the heroic officers who rushed to the scene, adding that Zack Polanski and his allies should be ‘ashamed’.

He said Golders Green police officers showed ‘extraordinary bravery’ and ‘deserve our deepest thanks’ for protecting the public.

The letter, from the committee’s Labor chair Marina Ahmad, was intended to thank brave officers for their ‘swift response’ to the attacks in Golders Green on 29 April.

He added: ‘It’s truly surprising that Zack Polanski and his allies at City Hall are now going after these brave officers. This is a slap in the face and they should be ashamed.

‘The Green Party cannot be trusted with Britain’s national security. They showed whose side they really were on.’

Essa Suleiman, 45, arrives as she appears at Westminster Magistrates’ Court He has been charged with attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place in connection with the attack in North London on April 29.

He was also charged with attempted murder in relation to a separate, earlier incident on Great Dover Street in south London the same day.

The court heard a man identified as Ismail Hussein was stabbed but suffered minor injuries about two hours before the Golders Green attack began.

Suleiman was also accused of attacking two men, Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76, in Golders Green a few hours later. Both were taken to hospital following the stabbing and later released.

The 45-year-old did not enter a plea to all charges and was remanded in custody for a preliminary hearing at the Old Bailey on May 15.

Last week, Green Party leader Zack Polanski apologized for retweeting a social media post claiming Golders Green officers had ‘repeatedly and violently kicked’ him.[ed] A mentally ill man was already incapacitated by a Taser on his head.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the move to share the post as disgraceful, before pointing out that the suspect refused to drop the knife he was holding.

Sir Mark also accused the Green Party politician of encouraging ‘inaccurate and misinformed’ comments about the arrest on 29 April.

Meanwhile, London Assembly committee chair Ms Ahmad told a letter on May 1 that officers’ response to the attack in Golders Green ‘undoubtedly saved lives and prevented further injury’.

Zack Polanski today insisted he was ‘traumatised’ by footage of police restraining Golders Green stabbing suspect

Polanski had previously retweeted a post suggesting that the heroic cops who disarmed the Golders Green terrorist had a tough job

YouGov research published today has supported the idea that Mr Polanski’s popularity has taken a hit over his stance on Golders Green

While thanking the force for increasing policing services for those living in vulnerable communities, he wrote: ‘Please convey our gratitude to all involved for their dedication and service.’

He said police officers trusted by the committee would continue to apply their training, ensuring a ‘proportionate and balanced approach’ was used when dealing with suspects, in line with concerns previously raised by the Green Party.

He added that a review of overall responses will be carried out to support future learning.

Ms Garbett, who has been a member of the Assembly since 2022, said in a message seen by a newspaper that she could not support the letter as it is currently worded.

The NHS worker said she was deeply concerned by the ‘appalling rise in anti-Semitic hate crimes’ but said there needed to be a focus on scrutiny as well as recognition of serving police officers.

‘There are a number of issues that need to be addressed with the Met in relation to this incident, which are truly concerning in terms of the Met’s failure to keep Londoners safe and the behavior of officers,’ he added.

It has raised many questions, including allegations that officers kicked the Golders Green suspect in the head, as well as concerns about the defendant attacking someone in south London just hours before the incident in north London.

Other questions posed by the Green Party councilor included the alleged attacker’s appearance on the Counter Terrorism programme, a rise in arson and violent attacks on the Jewish community and no mention of action by the force and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. .

‘I also think it is extremely inappropriate to send a letter of this nature in the pre-election period,’ he added.

It appears that Ms. Garbett’s original additions to the letter were rejected by the president and so he added them as footnotes.

Ms Garbett, a Green Party mayoral candidate in Hackney, receives an annual allowance of £66,390 for her role as a councilor and £12,014 as a borough councillor.

Zack Polanski emphasized on BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today program that he retracted his post about the arrest on April 29, but also claimed that he was ‘traumatized’ by the images.

He also said the suspect was ‘handcuffed’ when he was kicked in the head by police who tried to drop a knife; However, this was not the case in the video.

Shamefully, the Greens were forced to retract the claim following Mr Polanski’s appearance on BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today programme. A spokesman said: ‘Zack misspoke and meant the man was on the ground.’

Mr Polanski also acknowledged that it was inaccurate to claim to be a spokesman for the British Red Cross.

Political opponents have demanded that Mr Polanski ‘come clean’ and set the record straight about his claim that he was a ‘spokesperson’ for the British Red Cross claim – a claim highlighted by The Times overnight.

The false claim was made during his 2022 campaign to become the party’s deputy leader.

He told the BBC radio program today: ‘I’ve hosted a number of fundraising events for the British Red Cross and I would actually get on stage and talk on their behalf about the amazing work they do in tackling humanitarian crises, the climate crisis and indeed for refugees around the world.

‘I used the wrong word and I accept that, but I would actually take the words with me on stage and speak them.

‘But it is important that they do not support any political party and I accept that and have ensured that this is removed.’

A Hackney Green Party spokesperson said: ‘Zoë Garbett AM opposes this letter. He shares the committee’s concerns about both rising anti-Semitic hate crimes and the safety of London’s Jews.

‘However, he believes this letter should place greater emphasis on the police’s investigation of this incident and the Prevent programme.’

It is understood the London Assembly cannot comment due to pre-election rules.