Zack Polanski today insisted he was ‘traumatised’ by footage of police restraining the Golders Green stabbings suspect.
The Greens leader risked reigniting his spat with Scotland Yard over the incident as he faced mounting scrutiny ahead of local elections.
Mr Polanski was grilled in a radio interview about his post last week endorsing criticism of the police’s use of force as they protected terrified local residents.
Met chief Mark Rowley rebuked the politician for wading in, making clear officers had to act to subdue and disarm the suspect.
The London Assembly member stressed this morning that he had retracted the post, but also claimed he had been ‘traumatised’ by the images. And he suggested that the suspect had been ‘handcuffed’ when he was kicked in the head by police trying to make him drop a knife – despite video seeming to show that was not the case.
Mr Polanski also admitted he was wrong to claim he had been a spokesman for the British Red Cross.
Zack Polanski today admitted he was wrong to claim he was a spokesman for the British Red Cross
A poll released yesterday suggested Mr Polanski’s personal rating has slumped over the past week
Political opponents have demanded Mr Polanski ‘comes clean’ and corrects the record about his claim to have been a ‘spokesman’ for the British Red Cross claim – which was highlighted by The Times overnight.
The false claim was made during his 2022 campaign to become the party’s deputy leader.
Asked about the issue in an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Mr Polanski said: ‘I hosted various fundraisers for the British Red Cross, and indeed I would go on stage and speak for them about the amazing work they do tackling humanitarian crises, on the climate crisis, and indeed, for refugees all around the world.
‘I used the wrong word, and I accept that, but I would essentially take words on stage with me and speak.
‘It’s important, though, and I accept this, that they don’t support any political party, and I’ve made sure that’s been taken down.’
The Green Party leader was condemned last week for his criticism of the police after three people were stabbed.
He faced barbs from within his own ranks, as well as from Keir Starmer who branded him ‘disgraceful’ and ‘not fit to lead any political party’.
Mr Polanski issued a half-hearted apology on Friday night, but in a round of media interviews on Sunday doubled down on questioning the police’s actions.
He said today that he had reposted messages criticising the police’s use of force because he was ‘traumatised’.
He said: ‘Two things can be true at the same time: officers are incredibly brave when they run towards scenes of crimes that most people, including myself, will want to run away from.
‘At the same time, I think it is accurate, and that I was also traumatised by seeing someone handcuffed and repeatedly kicked in the head.’
Labour has been targeting the Greens heavily in campaigning for the local elections, highlighting alleged ‘disturbing’ views held by some candidates.
Confronted with a series of comments, Mr Polanski said: ‘Those messages are all unacceptable, and it’s important to condemn that.
‘The Green Party are an anti-racist party and it’s important that we stick to our values.’
He said there would be a ‘standardised vetting process’ in future, with compulsory training for candidates, ‘to make it clear that antisemitism is completely unwelcome in the Green Party, as it is in society’.
‘It is also important to say one case of antisemitism is one too many. This is a handful of cases and actually we have over 4,500 candidates, the vast, vast majority of which are doing amazing work in their communities right now,’ he said.
Mr Polanski came under fire from a predecessor as Green leader yesterday for failing to tackle anti-Semitism within the party.
Former Brighton MP Caroline Lucas, who led the Greens three times between 2003 and 2018, said ‘immediate action’ was needed against local election candidates who had made ‘unacceptable’ statements.
She went public on X hours after Mr Polanski had accused his rivals of launching ‘desperate’ attacks because the ‘hate our plan to end Rip Off Britain’.
Former Brighton MP Caroline Lucas, who led the Greens three times between 2003 and 2018, said ‘immediate action’ was needed against local election candidates who had made ‘unacceptable’ statements
Research by More in Common has suggested Mr Polanski’s clashes with Scotland Yard might have harmed his standing.
The Green leader’s personal ratings have tumbled 14 points over the past week, leaving him with a net score of minus 27.
The latest poll, conducted between May 1 and 4, suggests Mr Polanski is still performing better than Sir Keir, who has a dire rating of minus 45.
However, he is significantly less popular than Kemi Badenoch, Ed Davey and Nigel Farage.
