Police take no action over Polanski guillotine image

The Metropolitan Police has concluded its review into Green Party leader Zack Polanski sharing an image featuring a guillotine and the slogan "we're only making plans for Nigel". The force announced on 29 July 2026 that it would take no further action, stating that the threshold for criminal action was not met.

Reform UK had reported Polanski to the Metropolitan Police, with their home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf accusing him of inciting murder. Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, had called for Polanski's arrest. However, the Metropolitan Police stated that after conducting inquiries, it was unlikely that the sharing of the image online would constitute a criminal offence.

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T-shirt incident referred to other force

While the Metropolitan Police decided not to pursue action over the shared image, it did determine that a crime report should be recorded concerning the wearing of the T-shirt itself. This report was referred to Avon and Somerset Police, who cover the area where the photograph was taken. Avon and Somerset Police also concluded that the threshold for a criminal offence had not been met.

Avon and Somerset Police stated that particular consideration was given to the context of the image, its use of song lyrics, and the marketing of the T-shirt as a satirical piece. The force noted that no complaints were received from individuals present at the event where the T-shirt was worn and found no evidence that the wearer intended to threaten any individual or encourage others to do so.

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Polanski refuses apology

Zack Polanski has stated he will not apologise to Nigel Farage for sharing the image. He told BBC Newsnight that he had made an "inadvertent mistake" by accepting a collaboration request with a photographer on Instagram without carefully reviewing all 20 images. The image was subsequently removed from his feed, with the Green Party describing the T-shirt as "clearly in poor taste".

Polanski told Newsnight: "If I'd done it deliberately I'd be apologising but because this was a mistake I think the important thing is that I point out this was a mistake, that I also make sure that I condemn political violence, and also crucially I make a commitment to be better on social media." He added that if Nigel Farage apologised for times he had put others in danger, he would consider apologising.

A spokesperson for the Green Party said it was "obvious from the start" that no crime had been committed and suggested Reform UK was using the incident as a "political football" to distract from other issues. A Reform UK spokesman responded by stating that "we see that we are living in two-tier Britain" and that Polanski was "allowed to get away with inciting murder".