Green Party leader reported to police over Nigel Farage “beheading” Instagram post
Farage said he'd expect to be arrested if he posted something like that.
Zack Polanksi by Getty/Samir Hussein
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- The Metropolitan Police is reviewing a report about an image shared on Green Party leader Zack Polanski’s Instagram.
- The image showed a T-shirt with a guillotine and wording some interpreted as targeting Reform leader Nigel Farage.
- The Green Party said Polanski unknowingly shared the image through an unvetted collaboration post and condemns the T-shirt.
- Farage and Zia Yusuf accused Polanski of inciting violence, raising tensions between Reform and the Green Party.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, is in trouble after a seemingly innocent Instagram collaboration caught the attention of the Metropolitan Police.
Following a Green Party event, Polanski shared a 20-image photo carousel taken by freelance photojournalist “Just Barold.”
Among the photos was an image of an attendee wearing a satirical T-shirt depicting an executioner standing next to a guillotine with the words, “We’re only making plans for Nigel,” above it.
The words “We’re only making plans for Nigel” are a reference to the 1979 English rock band XTC, but people saw this as a direct threat to Reform leader Nigel Farage.
The Green Party said Polanski accepted the collaboration post without vetting the images and unknowingly shared the image, which was later reposted by Farage.
A spokesperson also said in a statement to the BBC that Polanski condemns the image depicted on the T-Shirt.
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The Reform leader accused Polanski of inciting violence against him and said that legal action should be taken.
“This is what Zack Polanski has just posted on his Instagram. If I were to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski,” Farage said via X.
The shadow home secretary for Reform, Zia Yusuf, also reposted the photo and accused Polanski of “inciting murder,” which is a serious crime that “must be treated as such by the police.”
Yusus added that Polanski broadcast this image to his 713,000 followers just 2 weeks after “our friend” Reform party member Ann Widdecombe was murdered.
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The Metropolitan Police announced that it had “received a third-party report relating to an image shared on social media.”
The post added that the report is extremely serious and officers are looking into the matter.
Reform home secretary Yusuf and the photojournalist who published the image reported the post to the Metropolitan Police, according to the BBC.
Yusuf posted a video to X stating that the Green Party politician posted the image that clearly called for the beheading of Farage, and that Reform has reported this to the authorities.
In the thread, the photographer claims he “already contacted the police” and gave them his details.
“Nigel Farage is fine to pursue whatever he wants.”
