Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform party, has strongly criticized Green Party leader Zack Polanski for sharing a social media post that depicted a man wearing a T-shirt with a guillotine graphic and the words, “We’re only making plans for Nigel.” Farage alleges that this post incites violence against him and his colleagues, effectively turning them into "legitimate targets."
This incident occurs weeks after Ann Widdecombe, a Reform politician, was killed. Farage wrote in the Daily Mail that Polanski’s actions have fueled hatred against him and his party, recounting past instances of harassment including milkshakes and stones being thrown, being hit with placards, and his home being attacked. He accused hostile commentators and political opponents of slandering him and Reform as fascists and racists to incite hatred.
Polanski has since removed the post from his Instagram account, which has over 700,000 followers. However, he has not apologized to Farage and, when questioned, insisted he had "done nothing wrong."
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed they are making inquiries after receiving a third-party report concerning the social media image. The Daily Mail reported that Polanski had not yet been contacted by the police.
The post drew widespread criticism from across the political spectrum, including from within Polanski’s own party. Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake called the wearer, printer, and poster of the T-shirt "idiots." Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden stated it was "not the first time Zack Polanski has done something like this." Reform's economics spokesperson Robert Jenrick suggested the image demonstrated Polanski was "not fit to lead a national political party."
Former deputy leader of the Green Party, Shahrar Ali, accused Polanski of hypocrisy, particularly given Polanski's past stance on the arrest of comedian Graham Linehan for social media posts allegedly inciting violence. Ali questioned if Polanski would refer himself to the police for his own actions.
Insiders within the Green Party have also expressed frustration over Polanski's "trigger-happy" social media approach. One source suggested Polanski needs to "put down the phone" and that the party leadership's reliance on collaborations for content was wearing thin. They added that the leader of a political party should have dedicated staff to vet content, implying the national party was not adequately funding this.
Another Green Party source indicated internal concern over Polanski's social media habits, describing it as a "headache" for party press officers. This comes as a recent poll showed the Green Party achieving its lowest share of the vote since Polanski became leader in October of the previous year.
A spokesperson for the Green Party stated that Zack Polanski condemns the T-shirt image. The spokesperson explained that Polanski was tagged in a post containing 20 images and accepted the tag without fully realizing the content of each image. The spokesperson described the T-shirt as being "in poor taste," especially given the current climate of heightened security fears for public figures, noting that Polanski himself has experienced multiple threats. The Green Party and Polanski called for all involved in public discourse to "show kindness and not encourage more division."