The Green party leader’s retweet of a post accusing officers of ‘repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head’ provoked criticism from Met chief Mark Rowley, who said political leaders should be ‘confronting antisemitism and permissive rhetoric, lowering tensions and backing those who are willing to step in to protect the public’. Photograph: Guy Smallman/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenThe Green party leader’s retweet of a post accusing officers of ‘repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head’ provoked criticism from Met chief Mark Rowley, who said political leaders should be ‘confronting antisemitism and permissive rhetoric, lowering tensions and backing those who are willing to step in to protect the public’. Photograph: Guy Smallman/Getty ImagesZack Polanski’s criticism of Golders Green attack arrest will have ‘chilling effect’, says Met chiefMark Rowley defends officers who arrested suspect in Wednesday’s incident and calls on Green party leader to show solidarity
The Metropolitan police chief has said that Green party leader Zack Polanski sharing a post about the arrest of the Golders Green terror suspect will have a “chilling effect”.
Met officers arrested a 45-year-old man after two Jewish people were stabbed in the suburb of north-west London on Wednesday. Police said the suspect was shot with a stun gun to subdue him.
The incident is being treated as terrorism and police have been in discussions about the case with lawyers at the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorises criminal charges in England and Wales.
Polanski retweeted, without comment, a post on X accusing officers on the scene of “repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head” when he was already incapacitated from being Tasered.
However, the Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, said in a letter to the Green party leader that he believed the post was “inaccurate and misinformed commentary” and that police officers “are nothing short of extraordinary”, saying: “Without their efforts to stop him I dread to think what the outcome could have been.”
He added: “London’s Jewish communities are scared. They have experienced a series of targeted attacks on the community, and they expect our officers to act, protect them.
“That is exactly what our officers did yesterday. Your decision to criticise these officers, using your public profile and reach, will have a chilling effect.”
Rowley wrote: “The officers confronted a dangerous man they believed to be a terrorist, who refused to show his hands, who was violent and who continued to pose a clear threat.”
His letter also calls for solidarity from political leaders, stating: “That solidarity matters, and at this moment we need politicians and community leaders to be at the forefront of it, not only condemning the horrific attacks but by taking leadership in confronting antisemitism and permissive rhetoric, lowering tensions and backing those who are willing to step in to protect the public and reassure the public.”
A Green party source said: “Zack has seen the video like everyone else, and doesn’t know the full picture and knows it was a very difficult situation for the authorities, but we do need to understand more about the response.”
On Wednesday, after the attacks in Golders Green took place, the Green party released a statement saying: “This was an appalling act of antisemitic violence. Jewish people deserve safety and belonging wherever they live and we stand in solidarity with the British Jewish community.”
