Green Party leader apologises for post criticising Golders Green arrest

Zack Polanski apologised after sharing a post that accused officers of “repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head” during the arrest of the Golders Green terror suspect, a move that drew a sharp rebuke from Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.

Rowley wrote to the Green Party leader saying he was “disappointed” and warned the post was “inaccurate and misinformed” and could have a “chilling effect” on officers. He publicly defended the arrest as a reasonable use of force, saying the officers were trying to stop a man who had just stabbed two Jewish men, and described them as “nothing short of extraordinary”. Rowley also said the officers were still shaken after the incident.

Polanski later apologised to the Metropolitan Police, saying he had shared the post in haste. The row has exposed tensions inside the Green Party, with the Welsh leader, Luke Williams, saying it did seem “inappropriate to retweet.”

The arrest came during a fast-moving attack in Golders Green, north-west London, on 29 April 2026. Police said officers responded at about 11:16hrs after reports of people stabbed in Highfield Avenue. A 45-year-old British national born in Somalia was arrested at the scene after the Metropolitan Police said two Jewish men had been stabbed. The force later released video showing the suspect holding a knife, advancing towards officers, being tasered and then detained on the ground.

Police said the suspect had a history of serious violence and mental health issues. They also confirmed that he had previously been referred to Prevent in 2020, but that referral was closed that same year. The Metropolitan Police declared the incident a terrorist attack.

The confrontation over Polanski’s post has landed in a city already rattled by a series of attacks aimed at Jewish sites and organisations in north-west London. On 23 March, four ambulances from Hatzola, the volunteer-led Jewish ambulance service operating in Golders Green, were set on fire. On 15 April, there was an attempted arson attack at a synagogue in Finchley and an arson attack on the offices of a Persian-language media organisation. By 16 April, police said there had been eight arrests in the Golders Green arson investigation and three charges. On 27 April, officers also launched an investigation after a suspected arson attack at a memorial wall on Limes Avenue.

Rowley said London’s Jewish communities had experienced a series of targeted attacks and expected police to protect them. In that climate, his warning went beyond one social media post: it was a reminder of how quickly online reactions can deepen security fears before the facts of an arrest are fully settled.