‘I’ve not done anything wrong’: Zack Polanski refuses to apologise for posting photo of T-shirt about Nigel Farage’s execution

Zack Polanski insisted the Green Party leader had done ‘nothing wrong’ after Reform shared a photo of a man wearing a T-shirt which he claimed ‘incited the murder of Nigel Farage’.

Polanski, 43, said he made an “unintentional mistake” but would not apologize for the post he shared with his 713,000 followers on Instagram on Monday.

The photo featured a man wearing a black T-shirt with the words ‘We’re only planning for Nigel’ and a picture of a guillotine.

Mr Farage called for his political rival to be arrested on Monday, while Reform’s Internal affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf accused the Green leader of ‘inciting murder’. The party confirmed that it had reported Mr Polanski to the police.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said police were ‘conducting an investigation’ and ‘take such reports extremely seriously’.

In his first interview since the scandal broke, Polanski told BBC Newsnight that he had not been contacted by police, adding that he “did not pay enough attention to the T-shirt” and was “horrified” by the “dangerous message” inside it.

The Green Party leader said on the program on Tuesday night: ‘This was not my post, it was a collaboration of a photographer.

‘There were 20 pictures and I didn’t look hard enough and accepted it.

Mr Polanski told BBC Newsnight that he had not been contacted by police and added that he was ‘horrified’ by the T-shirt’s ‘dangerous message’.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage calls for political rival to be arrested on Monday

‘As soon as I became aware of the incident, I refused and removed it.

‘I think it would be strange for the police to talk to me about this because I think it’s pretty clear that I’ve done nothing wrong other than making an unintentional mistake.

‘However, if the police wish to speak to me I would of course be more than happy to co-operate.’

Mr Polanski said he would not apologize to Mr Farage, adding: ‘If I had done it on purpose I would be apologising.

‘But because it was a mistake, I think the important thing is that I say it was a mistake, but also make sure I condemn political violence and, most importantly, make a commitment to be better on social media.’

He added: ‘I believe in originality and I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong here. I made a mistake, but it wasn’t a deliberate mistake.

‘It would be so easy to apologize but I actually think that would be wrong. And if nothing else, I will always stand behind my beliefs.

‘If Nigel Farage wants to apologize for all the times he put other people in danger, I’ll be happy to apologize too.’

Mr Polanski rejected seven times when asked by presenter Victoria Derbyshire whether he would apologize to Mr Farage.

Mr Polanski also revealed he had yet to pay the outstanding council tax bill he owed.

He said his local council had not yet told him whether he was facing an outstanding tax bill, but added: ‘If I have to pay anything I want to pay it as soon as possible.’

A source from Reform UK (RUK) told BBC Newsnight: ‘It is truly surprising and frankly disgusting that Zack Polanski will not apologise.

‘He admits he was wrong. He admits it’s dangerous, but still refuses to apologize.

‘Mr Polanski is unfit to lead a national political party.’

Asked about the row on Tuesday, Work and Pensions Minister Pat McFadden said ‘all politicians have a duty to be careful about what they post’, especially given the death of former MP and RUK spokesperson Ann Widdecombe earlier this month.

Mr McFadden told Sky News people ‘make mistakes’ and it was up to the police to decide whether any action needed to be taken.

He added: ‘This isn’t the first time Zack Polanski has done something like this.’

On Monday night, Lord Walney, the Government’s former adviser on political violence, was among the voices calling out Polanski’s actions, describing the post as ‘sickening’.

Lord Walney told the Daily Mail: ‘There must have been serious consequences for Zack Polanski after he shared material implying the assassination of another politician.

‘This may be sickening and unacceptable at any time, but it is even more serious in the current climate where a senior Reform member has been brutally murdered.

‘The Green Party should be banned from siding with mainstream parties if it does not take action against its leader.’

Manchester-based Sabcat Printing, which sells the t-shirt for £20, listed it as a ‘cryptic design for tough times’. He later removed the item from the website

Nigel Farage calls for the arrest of Zack Polanski after the Green Party leader shared a photo of a man wearing a T-shirt ‘planning to behead him’

A spokesperson for the Green Party said on Monday that the deleted post appeared as part of a social media ‘collaboration’.

They said: ‘After attending a public event, Zack accepted a request to collaborate on a post featuring a variety of images.

‘When this image was brought to his attention he immediately stopped sharing the post. He certainly does not support such dangerous messages.’

Following the outrage, Sabcat Printing, based in Leigh, Greater Manchester, removed the t-shirt design from its website.

Sold for £20, the business listed the clothing item as a ‘cryptic design for tough times’.

The shirt is thought to be a reference to a 1979 song by British rock band XTC, but the inclusion of the guillotine suggests a darker statement.

The company added in the now-deleted statement: ‘Who could Nigel be? So why the guillotine? Whether it’s a nod to the XTC classic or a sharper political satire, this design is for those who prefer their statements mysteriously.’

The shirt was removed from the company’s website late Monday evening.

Mr. Polanski has faced problems before for his use of social media.

In May, he apologized for sharing a post criticizing the police response to the Golders Green stabbings, saying he had done so ‘in haste’.