LEFT-WING firebrand Zack Polanski provoked fury by taking over a day to apologise for bashing cops after the Golders Green attacks.
The Green Party leader was finally dragged into a partial “sorry” yesterday afternoon.
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Zack Polanski provoked fury by taking over a day to apologise for bashing cops after the Golders Green attacks Credit: Alamy
The Met Police detain a suspect after two Jewish people were stabbed in Golders Green, North West London
It came after senior colleagues turned on him for sharing a post 24 hours earlier condemning police who subdued the knife attacker.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the “mask of the loony left has finally slipped” ahead of Thursday’s local elections.
He added: “It’s clear that Zack Polanski is a pound shop Jeremy Corbyn. His party must never be allowed anywhere near the levers of power.”
Israel’s deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel said Mr Polanski’s apology was “too little too late”.
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Asked if she agreed with an Israeli embassy source who labelled Mr Polanski an extremist, Ms Haskel said: “It is as simple as that.”
The post retweeted by Mr Polanski accused brave cops of “repeatedly and violently” kicking the suspect after he was tasered.
Police declared a terror incident after two Jewish men were stabbed in North West London on Wednesday.
Party leaders piled into Mr Polanski after Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said his “misinformed commentary” had been “contributing to rising tensions”.
PM Sir Keir Starmer, who met the officers, said they must have been thinking the suspect had a bomb.
He told Radio 4’s Today: “When I then see Zack Polanski retweet or support a criticism of that, I think it’s disgraceful. He’s not fit to lead any political party.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Zack Polanski should be ashamed of himself. This just shows what the Green Party has become.
“If someone Zack Polanski loved had just been stabbed, I don’t think he’d be worrying about how the police were disarming that person.”
Sir Mark Rowley wrote to Mr Polanski on Thursday telling him the officers’ actions were ‘extraordinary’ Credit: Story Picture Agency
The UK’s terror alert has gone up following the horror attack Credit: AFP
Lord Mann, the UK’s independent adviser on antisemitism, said Mr Polanski’s “mask has well and truly slipped”.
He added: “The Green Party are in absolute chaos and this week has shown why they should not be taken seriously.
“Those traditional Green supporters have been brushed to one side, the people who are pushing for green energy and recycling.
“That’s not the Green Party of today. Polanski is worse than Jeremy Corbyn.”
Mr Corbyn was suspended as a Labour MP after he said the scale of antisemitism had been “dramatically overstated” by opponents.
It followed a report by the equalities watchdog into handling of complaints under his leadership.
Sir Mark is demanding enough cash for 300 officers to help step up patrols in Jewish neighbourhoods.
He said that relying on “begging, borrowing and stealing” resources from across the capital isn’t sustainable.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said ‘Zack Polanski should be ashamed of himself’ Credit: PA
CALL TO BAN MARCHES
By Julia Atherley
JEWISH leaders have called for pro-Palestine marches to be temporarily banned following the Golders Green terror attack.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said he would “love to see it being implemented ASAP, before the next demonstrations”.
He claimed the marches contributed to “Jew hatred”, and said: “We are witnessing the normalisation of antisemitism — and it most definitely has not been taken seriously enough.”
The Government’s reviewer of terror legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, this week called for a pause on the marches, saying it was “clearly impossible at the moment” for them not to stir up antisemitic views.
Campaign Against Antisemitism leader Gideon Falter said the “hate marches” were “full of extremists”.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said he is concerned about the scale of upcoming protests in the capital, starting May 16.
But he said: “Protests can’t be banned. That’s a matter for Parliament. I have no power to do that.”
Sir Keir tonight indicated that he would pay for longer-term funding.
Sir Mark wrote to Mr Polanski on Thursday telling him the officers’ actions were “extraordinary”.
The top cop told LBC Radio: “It’s very rare that I would write a letter like that to a political leader, but if someone tried to compromise my team’s ability to protect Londoners, I need to do something about it.”
The Green Party initially said Mr Polanski “doesn’t know the full picture and knows it was a very difficult situation for the authorities”.
Finally, yesterday afternoon, Mr Polanski said: “Everyone in leadership has a responsibility for lowering the temperature at a time of such tension, and I apologise for sharing a tweet in haste. Police responses to emergency situations such as these do need later reflection in the right forums, but I accept that social media is not the appropriate channel for doing so.”
The incident comes days before millions cast votes across England, Wales and Scotland.
Polling by YouGov has the Greens on 15 per cent, Labour 18, Tories 19 and Reform UK leading on 26.
Meanwhile, senior Green figures turned on Mr Polanski.
Anthony Slaughter, his counterpart in Wales, said the post appeared “inappropriate to retweet”.
He added: “I know Zack and his colleagues in the London Assembly work closely with the Met so there will be discussions about what went wrong. It’s also the scourge of social media when news is coming at you constantly.”
Mr Slaughter said it had taken him a long time to train himself not to post or share reactive comments without the full picture.
Ex-Green deputy leader Shahrar Ali accused Mr Polanski of failing to stand with the Jewish community which was now “under siege like never before”.
Mr Ali added: “This is the time to stand shoulder to shoulder with them in so many ways.
“The electorate must send a message loud and clear that — in its current incarnation of eco-free, antisemitic Islamist populism — the Green Party is part of the problem, not the solution. Do not vote Green on Thursday.”
Current deputy leader Rachel Millward has said the rise in antisemitism in Britain was “horrific” but insisted all parties had an antisemitism problem.
Even a relative of Mr Polanski expressed concern about his leadership, claiming he had ridden a wave of “Jew hatred” to reach his position.
The unnamed relative also said they had thought about moving to Israel if the Greens ever became part of a UK government.
They told the Jewish Chronicle: “The problem is that we love England, but the fabric of the country has changed.”
