In a recent development, Nigel Farage has demanded the arrest of Green Party leader Zack Polanski after a contentious image surfaced online. Shared by Polanski, the picture depicts a man donning a T-shirt that implies Farage’s decapitation—a matter that has now caught the attention of law enforcement as they initiate an investigation.
On Monday, the 43-year-old Polanski took to Instagram to broadcast this image to his extensive following of 713,000. The photograph features an unidentified man with a beard, sporting sunglasses and a colorful, rainbow-striped hat, paired with a ‘peace’ sign gesture.
The focal point of controversy is the man’s shirt, which emblazoned a guillotine and the phrase, ‘We’re only making plans for Nigel.’ Though this slogan echoes a 1979 hit song by the English rock group XTC, the inclusion of a guillotine introduces a sinister twist to the message.
Reacting swiftly by late Monday afternoon, Farage vocally urged that Polanski should face legal scrutiny and possible detention over the incident.
The unfolding controversy has prompted Reform UK to take action, with insiders revealing to the Daily Mail that they have lodged a formal report with the Metropolitan Police. In parallel, Reform UK’s Alex Wilson plans to escalate the matter to the Greater London Assembly, seeking further examination of Polanski’s actions.
Just hours after it appeared, Mr Polanski removed the post, with a Green party spokesman stating he does not ‘support’ this ‘dangerous message’.
However, the original post was shared widely on social media throughout Monday evening.
In a further development, the online business that designed the T-shirt removed the item from its website following a widespread backlash.
Mr Farage, 62, retweeted the image on X, writing: ‘This is what Zack Polanski has just posted on his Instagram.
‘If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski.’
Nigel Farage has called for Zack Polanski to be arrested after the Green Party leader shared a photograph of a man wearing a T-shirt ‘planning his decapitation’
Daily Mail understands Reform UK is in the process of reporting Mr Polanski to police over the post, which has since been removed
The party told The Daily Mail the post was ‘staggering’ given that it appeared just days after the brutal killing of Reform UK spokesperson Ann Widdecombe in her own home
Zack Polanski has deleted the post, which the Green Party said was part of a ‘collaboration’
Reform shadow home secretary Zia Yusuf told the Daily Mail the post was ‘staggering’ given that it appeared just days after the brutal killing of Reform UK spokesman Ann Widdecombe in her own home.
He said: ‘Zack Polanski has posted to his 713k Instagram followers a photo of a man in a T-shirt depicting the beheading of Nigel Farage.
‘To do this just two weeks after our friend Ann was murdered is staggering. This is incitement to murder.
‘It should be treated as such by the police.’
Lord Walney, the government’s former adviser on political violence, called the post ‘sickening’.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘There must be serious consequences for Zack Polanski after he shared material implying the assassination of another politician.
‘This would be sickening and unacceptable at any time but it is even more serious in the present environment in which a senior Reform member has been brutally killed.
‘The Green Party must be barred from participating alongside mainstream parties if it fails to take action against its leader.’
On Monday night, Met Police confirmed it was looking into the social media post.
In a statement on X, the force said: ‘Earlier today – Monday, 27 July – we received a third-party report relating to an image shared on social media.
‘We take reports of this nature extremely seriously, and officers are conducting enquiries into the matter.’
A Green Party spokesman said the post had been deleted and appeared as part of a social media ‘collaboration’.
They said: ‘After attending a public event, Zack accepted a request to collaborate on a post with several images.
‘Once this image was brought to his attention he immediately unshared the post. He unequivocally does not support this type of dangerous message.’
Manchester-based Sabcat Printing, which was selling the T-shirt for £20, listed it as ‘a cryptic design for difficult times’. It has since removed the item from its website
Following the furore, Sabcat Printing, based in Leigh, Greater Manchester, removed the design from its website.
Sold for £20, the business listed the clothing item as ‘a cryptic design for difficult times’.
It added in the now-deleted description: ‘Who could Nigel be? And why the guillotine? Whether it’s a nod to the XTC classic or a sharper bit of political satire, this design is for those who prefer their statements with a side of mystery.’
By late on Monday evening the T-shirt had been removed from the company’s website.
Former Tory MP and Reform UK figure Ms Widdecombe was found dead in her remote bungalow in Dartmoor on July 9.
Prosecutors told a court last week she had been hit with a hammer 21 times as she ate her lunch.
Joshua Kerry, 28, from South Yorkshire, has been charged with the 78-year-old’s murder and remanded in custody ahead of the next hearing on October 9.