The Metropolitan Police has said it will not be taking any further action against Zack Polanski over a controversial image he reposted on Instagram.
The Met said in a statement they did not believe sharing the picture of a man wearing a T-shirt with an image of a guillotine with the slogan “we’re only making plans for Nigel” constituted an offence.
However, the force said wearing the t-shirt should be recorded as a crime and they had referred a crime report to Avon and Somerset Police, who cover Bristol where the photo was taken.
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A spokesperson for the police said: “We absolutely understand the reaction to this image being shared online, particularly in the context of increasing threats towards politicians.
“We take the safety and security of those in public life, including politicians, very seriously. Where we identify threats we take appropriate action and where there is evidence of offences we will investigate.
“While there will be people who will argue that those who shared the image in this Instagram post should be subject to criminal action, our review has concluded that on this occasion, the threshold is not met. We have spoken with those impacted to explain that decision making and to provide reassurance around our ongoing commitment to their security and the additional support available.”
On Tuesday night, Polanski accepted he had made a mistake in accepting a collaboration request on the post which included the image.
Speaking on Newsnight, the Green Party leader said he condemned political violence.
But he refused to apologise to Farage for the post, accusing the Reform leader of “ramping up” the issue in a “fundamentally dishonest way.”
The Green leader argued that if he apologised then Farage “would run all over social media saying he was correct about incitement to murder and this would all ramp up again.”
“I think it’s important that I draw a line and don’t play his game,” he said. “It is important that he’s kept safe, it is important we condemn political violence, but I also recognise this as the political attack that it is.”
Polanski also pointed to times when Farage himself has also been accused of incitement and has refused to apologise, adding: “If Nigel Farage wants to apologise for all the times that he’s put other people in danger then I will be happy to make an apology.”