Zack Polanski will not say sorry to Farage for sharing ‘dangerous’ image | Zack Polanski
Green Party leader Zack Polanski said he made an “unintentional mistake” due to an image on social media, but said he would not apologize to Nigel Farage.
The photo, which Polanski said he “accidentally shared” on Instagram and later removed, included a picture of a man wearing a black T-shirt with the words “We are only planning for Nigel” and a guillotine.
Reform UK said the party had reported Polanski to the police, with home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf accusing the Green leader of “inciting murder” and calling for Nigel Farage’s arrest.
A Metropolitan police spokesman said police were “conducting an investigation” and “take such reports extremely seriously”.
Polanski told BBC Newsnight on Tuesday evening 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.
“This was not my post, it was a photographer’s collaboration. There were 20 photos and I didn’t look carefully enough and accepted it. As soon as I realized what it was, I did not accept it and removed it.”
“I think it would be weird 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 want to talk to me I’d of course be more than happy to co-operate.”
Polanski stated that he would not apologize to Farage, adding: “If I had done it on purpose, I would be apologizing.
“But since it was a mistake, I think the important thing is for me to state that it was a mistake, but also to make sure that I condemn political violence and also, most importantly, to make a commitment to be better on social media.”
He added: “If Nigel Farage wants to apologize for all the times he put other people in danger, I’ll be happy to apologize too.”
A source from Reform England told BBC Newsnight: “It’s truly surprising and frankly disgusting that Zack Polanski has not apologized for inciting the murder. He admits it was wrong. He accepts it was dangerous but still refuses to apologize.”
“Mr. Polanski is unfit to lead a national political party.”
Asked about the debate on Tuesday, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said there was a “duty for all politicians to be careful about what they post”, especially given the death of former MP Ann Widdecombe earlier this month.
McFadden told Sky News that 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.”
Polanski has been criticized 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”.
