STORY
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has apologised after sharing a social media post criticising Metropolitan Police officers over their handling of an arrest following the Golders Green stabbings. Polanski, who leads the Green Party of England and Wales, said he had shared the post “in haste” and accepted that social media was not the right place to raise questions about police conduct during such a sensitive incident.
The apology followed a rare public rebuke from Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, who said Polanski had promoted “inaccurate and misinformed commentary” and risked undermining public confidence in officers. Rowley said the officers involved had acted in an extremely dangerous situation and warned that criticism from prominent public figures could have a “chilling effect” on police responding to violent incidents.
Polanski said leaders had a responsibility to “lower the temperature” at a time of heightened tension and said he had invited Rowley to meet him to discuss the police response and wider issues raised by the commissioner’s letter.