Reform UK reports Zack Polanski to police over guillotine t-shirt post

Reform UK have reported Green Party leader Zack Polanski to the police, after he shared an Instagram post including a photo of a man wearing a top featuring the name "Nigel" alongside an image of a guillotine.

One of several images showed a man in a black t-shirt with a large guillotine below the words "We're only making plans for Nigel".

Sharing a screenshot on X, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: "If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski."

A Green Party spokesperson said: "Once this image was brought to [Zack's] attention he immediately unshared the post. He unequivocally does not support this type of dangerous message."

Polanski had shared the photo with his 713,000 followers in a post containing several pictures of a Green Party event on Sunday, having accepted a request to collaborate with another account.

In a post on X, the Metropolitan Police said: "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."

The words "We're only making plans for Nigel" are the same as the lyrics of a 1979 song by band XTC, external.

The Green Party spokesperson said: "Zack condemns the image on the T-shirt. He was tagged in a post with 20 images and clicked accept without realising there was more to it than he had seen.

"The T-shirt is clearly in poor taste, especially at a time of heightened fears for the security of public figures, having experienced multiple threats himself.

"He and the Green Party call on everyone involved in public discourse to show kindness and not encourage more division."

The BBC understands Polanski has not been contacted by police.

Nigel Farage posted the image on his X account. The BBC has blurred the face of the man wearing the T-shirt.

A photographer with the username just.barold claimed responsibility, external for the photo, which he said was of someone wearing a satirical T-shirt, and apologised to Polanski on X, saying "this is not his fault" and adding he had reported himself to the police.

In a series of posts, the freelance photographer said: "This wasn't intended to offend anyone and it's clearly not intended as a serious threat to anyone's safety whatsoever."

They added: "This performative outrage is just that, and if people want to come and take it out on someone then take it out on the person who took the picture, and who then posted it."

However, Reform's home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf said the image showed "a photo of