Reform UK Reports Zack Polanski To Police Over Nigel Farage Image On Social Media

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/reform-uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reform UK has reported https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/zack-polanski" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Zack Polanski to the police after he shared a controversial image in relation to https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/nigel-farage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nigel Farage on social media.

The https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/green-party" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Green Party leader shared a series of photos on his Instagram account which included one photo suggesting Farage should be decapitated.

The image in question showed a man wearing a black t-shirt which included a sketch of a guillotine and the caption: “We’re only making plans for Nigel.”

The series of images also included several image of the Green Party leader at an even in Bristol though none of them included the questionable outfit.

The images were shared with Polanski’s 713,000 followers before the Green leader deleted the entire post.

A party spokesperson said: “Zack condemns the image on the T-shirt.

“He was tagged in a post with 20 images and clicked accept without realising there was more to it than he had seen.

“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.

“He and the Green Party call on everyone involved in public discourse to show kindness and not encourage more division.”

A photographer with the username just.barold took responsibility for the image, saying it was a satirical t-shirt and not Polanski’s “fault”.

They said: “This wasn’t intended to offend anyone and it’s clearly not intended as a serious threat to anyone’s safety whatsoever.”

They added: “This performative outrage is just that, and if people want to come and take it out on someone then take it out on the person who took the picture, and who then posted it.”

Responding to the photo on X, Reform leader Farage said: “If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski.”

Reform’s home affairs spokesperson https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/zia-yusuf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Zia Yusuf said: “To do this just two weeks after our friend https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ann-widdecombe/">Ann [Widdecombe] was murdered is staggering.

“This is incitement to murder.

It should be treated as such by the police.”

The police said they are “conducting enquiries” but are not thought to have spoken to Polanski directly yet.

In a post on X, the Metropolitan Police said: “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 enquiries into the matter.”

Reform also reported the Green leader to the monitoring officer of the Greater London Assembly, of which Polanski is a member.

Labour’s work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden told https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/sky-news" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sky News: “People can make mistakes.

It’s for the police to decide if there’s any further action to be taken.

“But... it’s not the first time Zack Polanski has done something like this, and I think there’s a duty on all of us, in all political parties, to just be careful about what we post or share.”

McFadden later told https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/lbc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LBC: “I’m not saying I could never make a mistake online, Nick.

Maybe I could.

But it’s incumbent upon all of us to think before we post.

“And we’ve, you know, since I’ve been in parliament, there have been terrible killings of politicians, including one recently, Ann Widdecombe, which you’ll have reported on.

So, I think we’ve got to think about the political culture and think before we post.”

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