Reform UK reports Green leader to police over guillotine post

Reform UK has filed a police report against Green Party leader Zack Polanski after he shared an Instagram post containing a photo of a man wearing a black t-shirt with a guillotine image and the words "We're only making plans for Nigel" - a reference to the 1979 XTC song.

What happened

Polanski shared the post with his 713,000 Instagram followers after accepting a collaboration request from another account. The post contained approximately 20 images, and the Green Party leader said he did not notice the controversial t-shirt among them. Once the image was brought to his attention, Polanski immediately removed the post.

A Green Party spokesperson said he "unequivocally does not support this type of dangerous message" and that he "condemns the image on the T-shirt."

Reactions from all sides

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage reposted a screenshot on X, writing: "If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski." Reform's home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf described the image as a photo calling for the beheading of Nigel Farage, suggesting it could constitute incitement to murder.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed they had received a third-party report and said officers were conducting enquiries. The BBC reported that Polanski had not been contacted by police at the time of publication.

Further consequences

Yusuf confirmed Reform UK would also report Polanski to the monitoring officer at the Greater London Assembly, where Polanski serves as an elected member. The Green Party noted that Polanski has experienced multiple threats himself and called on all public figures to show kindness and avoid encouraging further division.