London – The Metropolitan Police and Avon and Somerset Police have both stated they will not pursue further action regarding a T-shirt depicting a guillotine and referencing plans for Nigel Farage's death, a decision that has prompted accusations of "two-tier policing" from Reform UK.
Nigel Farage had called for the arrest of Green Party leader Zack Polanski after Polanski shared an image on social media of a man wearing the T-shirt. The T-shirt features a cartoon guillotine with the text "We're only making plans for Nigel," which are lyrics from a 1979 song by the band XTC. Polanski shared the image to his Instagram account, which has over 700,000 followers, but later deleted the post.
Reform UK reported Polanski to the police on Monday. Scotland Yard announced Wednesday night that officers had reviewed the reports and determined no further action was necessary concerning the online sharing of the image. However, the Metropolitan Police did decide that a crime should be recorded in relation to the wearing of the T-shirt itself. As the event where the T-shirt was worn took place in Bristol, the crime report was transferred to Avon and Somerset Police.
Avon and Somerset Police subsequently stated that the threshold for a criminal offense had not been met and no further action would be taken in relation to the T-shirt's wearing.
At a press conference on Thursday, Reform UK's Robert Jenrick criticized the police response, suggesting a disparity in how similar incidents are handled. "We've seen numerous examples of people who have had a knock on the door from the police, who've been arrested, who have even been prosecuted for what they said on social media," Jenrick said. "It does seem curious that in this case the police have chosen not to take action. We'll see whether they take action against the individual who posted the original tweet, who wore the T-shirt."
Jenrick highlighted the context of threats against Farage, noting that in recent weeks, an individual was arrested for threatening to kill him, and another is serving a prison sentence for entering the country with the express purpose of killing Farage. "Where a man has been arrested for threatening to kill him in recent weeks, where a man is serving in prison – an illegal migrant – for literally coming into this country for the express purpose of killing Nigel Farage. And, in those circumstances, the police are saying that it doesn't warrant further investigation for somebody to wear a T-shirt emblazoned with a guillotine dripping in blood, saying it's preparing for the death of Nigel Farage. That I find astonishing and unacceptable," Jenrick stated.
The Metropolitan Police explained their decision regarding the online sharing of the image, noting that approximately 130 accounts shared the post. "We must not treat individuals differently solely because of their public profile," a spokesperson said. "And therefore any investigation would need to have considered not just the actions of the individual named in the reports, but of all 130-plus people and organisations." The force concluded that a comprehensive investigation would be disproportionate and an unreasonable use of resources, given that the actions were unlikely to constitute an offense. They added that they had spoken with those impacted to explain the decision and provide reassurance about their ongoing commitment to security.
Avon and Somerset Police's statement noted that the image of the T-shirt was the 18th photo in a 20-image gallery. They stated that particular consideration was given to the context of the image, including its use of song lyrics and the marketing of the T-shirt as a satirical piece. "No complaints were received from people at the event at which it was worn and there is no evidence the wearer of the T-shirt intended to threaten any individual, or encourage anyone else to do so," their spokesperson said. "As a result, a senior detective has determined that the threshold for a criminal offence has not been met and no further action will be taken."
Zack Polanski, when questioned on BBC Newsnight, stated he had not looked carefully enough at the 20 images in the post and that it was a mistake. He emphasized that if it had been deliberate, he would have apologized, but as a mistake, he pointed it out, condemned political violence, and committed to improving his social media practices.
A spokesperson for the Green Party affirmed that the police had examined the evidence and concluded no crime was committed, describing the situation as "obvious from the start." The spokesperson also accused Reform UK of using the incident as a political tactic to distract from questions about the funding of Farage's party.