Green Party leader Zack Polanski deleted an Instagram post featuring a photograph of a man wearing a T-shirt that depicted a guillotine alongside the phrase “We’re only making plans for Nigel,” prompting Reform UK to demand a police investigation and arrest, according to reports published on July 23, 2024.
The post appeared on Mr Polanski’s account, which has 713,000 followers, and showed an unidentified bearded man wearing sunglasses and a rainbow-striped hat while flashing a peace sign. Within hours of publication, the image was removed. A Green Party spokesperson stated that Mr Polanski accepted a request to collaborate on a post containing several images after attending a public event, and that he unshared the material immediately once the imagery was brought to his attention, adding that he unequivocally does not support the message.
Reform UK Demands Police Action
Reform UK figures condemned the post sharply, noting its timing just weeks after the July 9 death of former Conservative MP and Reform UK figure Ann Widdecombe. Ms Widdecombe was found dead in her remote bungalow in Dartmoor, and prosecutors stated in court that she had been struck with a hammer 21 times while eating lunch. Joshua Kerry, 28, from South Yorkshire, has been charged with her murder and remanded in custody ahead of an October 9 hearing.
Reform shadow home secretary Zia Yusuf described the Instagram post as staggering and called for it to be treated as incitement to murder by police. Party leader Nigel Farage, 62, reshared the image on X, writing that he would expect to be arrested if he posted anything as inciteful and arguing that Mr Polanski should face the same consequence. Alex Wilson, Reform UK’s leader on the London Assembly, prepared a formal complaint to the Greater London Assembly regarding the incident.
Political Fallout and Government Response
Lord Walney, the government’s former adviser on political violence, labeled the post sickening and unacceptable given the current political climate following the killing of a senior Reform member. He stated that serious consequences must follow for Mr Polanski and suggested that the Green Party should be barred from participating alongside mainstream parties if it fails to take disciplinary action against its leader.
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