Polanski Apologises for Police‑Critic Tweet as Starmer Labels It Disgraceful and Suspect Charged

TL;DR: Green Party leader Zack Polanski apologised for reposting a tweet that condemned police conduct in the Golders Green attack; Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called the repost disgraceful, and a 45‑year‑old suspect has been charged with attempted murder.

Context On Wednesday morning police arrested a suspect in Golders Green after a knife attack that left two men injured. Body‑camera footage showed officers ordering the man to drop his weapon before using a Taser and, according to a viral video, kicking him in the head. The incident sparked immediate public debate about police tactics.

Key Facts Zack Polanski, a London Assembly member and Green Party leader, shared a post on X that accused officers of repeatedly kicking a mentally ill man who was already incapacitated by a Taser. In a Friday statement he said he had “shared a tweet in haste” and should not have used social media to comment on the police response. He invited Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to discuss the matter and pledged to lower the political temperature.

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, described Polanski’s decision to share the post as “disgraceful” during a BBC interview recorded before the apology. Starmer said he had met the officers involved and understood why they acted as they did, given the suspect’s rucksack and the fear of a possible bomb.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley had earlier accused Polanski of amplifying “inaccurate and misinformed commentary.” The force released the body‑camera footage and confirmed a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which will investigate the injuries sustained by the arrested man.

Meanwhile, Essa Suleiman, 45, was charged with attempting to murder Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76, in the Golders Green attack. Prosecutors also allege he tried to murder Ishmail Hussein in a separate knife attack in Southwark earlier that day.

What It Means Polanski’s apology attempts to temper criticism of police while acknowledging the limits of political commentary on operational matters. Starmer’s rebuke underscores Labour’s support for law‑enforcement decisions in high‑risk incidents. The pending police conduct inquiry and the murder‑attempt charges against Suleiman will keep the case in the public eye as the UK heads toward local elections in Scotland, Wales and several English councils.

Watch for the outcome of the Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation and any further statements from party leaders as the election cycle intensifies.