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Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, has declined on three occasions to apologize to Nigel Farage after sharing a photograph featuring a man wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a guillotine image and the phrase “we’re only making plans for Nigel.” The controversial image prompted Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, to describe it as “a photo of a man calling for the beheading of Nigel Farage,” warning that it might constitute an “incitement to murder.”
The incident began when Polanski posted the image, which was reportedly the fifth in a set of twenty from a party, following a collaboration request from an event photographer’s Instagram account. Although he swiftly removed the photo, Polanski told the BBC that no police contact had been made regarding the matter despite the photo being reported to the Metropolitan Police. In an interview with BBC Newsnight, Polanski argued that the post was an “inadvertent mistake” and refused to apologize, accusing Farage of amplifying the controversy in a “fundamentally dishonest way.”
Farage, leader of Reform UK, responded on the social platform X by stating, “If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski.” When asked repeatedly about apologizing, Polanski stood firm, insisting that the image was cropped by Farage to falsely imply he had intentionally shared it himself. He also highlighted receiving a death threat, saying, “The ramping up of the language to say ‘this is incitement to murder me’ feels like that’s also putting me in a dangerous spot.” Polanski further elaborated that he avoided an apology to prevent escalating the situation, expressing, “I think it’s important that I draw a line and don’t play his game.”
Polanski emphasized he had not noticed the t-shirt’s slogan initially, having only seen people celebrating and a man wearing a rainbow hat in the images. He described the current debate as “quite surreal” and maintained that he had not committed any wrongdoing aside from making an inadvertent error. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police reported no further updates on the complaint lodged on Monday. The issue also sparked a request from Reform UK for a formal inquiry by the Greater London Authority’s monitoring officer, who oversees Polanski as an elected member. Reform London Assembly Member Keith Prince dismissed Polanski’s claim of ignorance as “frankly risible,” while a Reform UK spokesperson condemned him for refusing to apologize despite admitting the image was dangerous. The controversy also drew comments from Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, who reminded politicians of their responsibility to exercise caution online, particularly following the recent death of former MP Ann Widdecombe
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