Green Party members of the London Assembly abstained from a vote commending the bravery of the Metropolitan Police officers who disarmed the Golders Green knifeman in April.
Zack Polanski was among the three Green representatives who refused to back a motion that applauded the “utmost courage and professionalism” of police officers during the Golders Green terror attack, which saw two Jewish men hospitalised.
The motion, proposed by Reform UK Assembly Member Alex Wilson, called on Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to award the officers the Commissioner's High Commendation.
Wilson said he brought forward the motion after Polanski suggested on social media that police had used excessive force during the incident.
Following the attack, Polanski reposted a comment on X which said: “So essentially his officers were repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head when he was already incapacitated by a Taser.”
Although Polanski later apologised for sharing the post, he abstained when the motion came before the Assembly last Thursday. Fellow Green AMs Benali Hamdache and Caroline Russell also abstained.
Guess which party refused to vote for a cross-party motion at @LondonAssembly praising the bravery of the @metpoliceuk officers who tackled the knife-wielding attacker of Golders Green in April? The Green Party
— teresa smith (@treesey) July 3, 2026
2 clips: listen to Polanski say ‘abstain’ & 2 other Greens
2.7.26 pic.twitter.com/2nZvBvU7tX
Wilson told the JC it was “incredibly revealing but sadly entirely expected that the Green Party chose not to back the brave officers involved in apprehending the Golders Green attacker.”
The motion called on Sir Mark Rowley to award the Commissioner's High Commendation to the officers who responded to the terror attack in Golders Green in April, during which two Jewish Londoners were attacked.
It also condemned attacks against the officers on social media and called on London AMs to “lead by example” and not circulate such allegations.
“This Assembly also notes the unjustified online attacks targeted at those brave officers, which were fuelled by ideology and ignorance; this Assembly condemns those attacks.
“This Assembly notes that unverified, harmful claims have been publicly made regarding the Metropolitan Police officers who apprehended the alleged terrorist in Golders Green on 29 April 2026, and calls on London’s politicians to lead by example by not circulating such claims.
“This Assembly believes that its Members have a moral duty to not undermine trust in London’s brave police officers when they carry out their jobs correctly, and that undue, ill-informed criticism of them leads to increased community tension and, in some cases, violence.”
Speaking for the motion in the Assembly chamber, Wilson said: “I was so shocked concerned at the time when a member of this assembly, who is national party leader and has a far higher profile than the rest of us put together, felt it was appropriate to share an accusation on social media that was demonstrably untrue and, even after apologising, continued to denigrate the professionalism and proportionality of the police response.”
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