Polanski says guillotine re-post was mistake but refuses to apologise
The Green Party leader defends his refusal to say sorry over a controversial social media post, blaming political rivals for escalating the row.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Green Party leader admits sharing a guillotine photo was a mistake.
- Repeatedly refuses to apologise, accusing Nigel Farage of dishonest cropping.
- Reform UK reports the incident to both the Met Police and the London Assembly monitoring officer.
Zach Polanski, the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, has admitted that reposting a guillotine photo was a mistake, but staunchly refused to issue an apology despite facing intense political backlash and a police referral.
The controversy erupted on Monday evening when Polanski shared the image, noting it was the fifth photo in a series of 20 from a party after accepting a collaboration request from an event photographer's Instagram account. He explained that he failed to read the slogan on the T-shirt because he was focused on people partying and only noticed the subject's rainbow hat while flipping through.
"If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski."
Nigel Farage
Shortly after, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage posted a screenshot on X, arguing that he would expect arrest for posting anything so inciteful, and insisting Polanski should face the same consequence.
The incident highlights the growing scrutiny politicians face regarding their social media activity in the UK. Sharing unvetted content, especially imagery associated with violence or historical execution devices, can quickly trigger severe regulatory and legal investigations into political accountability.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
When repeatedly pressed by reporters on whether he would say sorry, Polanski refused, arguing that Farage had cropped the image to make it look like he posted it directly, which he called fundamentally dishonest and unhelpful. Given a third chance, he doubled down, stating that an apology would simply allow Farage to claim vindication regarding incitement to murder and reignite the controversy.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed there was no update on the complaint received on Monday. Meanwhile, Reform escalated the matter on Tuesday by asking the Greater London Authority monitoring officer to investigate a potential code of conduct breach by Polanski, with Reform London Assembly Member Keith Prince dismissing Polanski's claim of ignorance as risible.
Source: BBC Politics
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