Reform UK has reported Green Party leader Zack Polanski to the police over an Instagram post. The post showed a man wearing a t-shirt that referenced the beheading of Nigel Farage, who leads Reform UK. Police are now looking into the matter.

Polanski leads the Green Party of England and Wales. He shared the post on his Instagram account. Farage then shared a screenshot of it on X, formerly Twitter, which brought it to wider attention before police became involved.

Nigel Farage said Polanski should be arrested over the post, POLITICO Europe reported. The Guardian reported on 27 July 2026 that officers were making inquiries after Farage reported the post for incitement, which means encouraging others to commit a crime. Reform UK announced on its own Instagram account that it had reported Polanski to the police.

Polanski deleted the Instagram post after the controversy grew, according to POLITICO Europe. The BBC published a video news story and a written article on 28 July 2026, and also produced a programme segment on the story.

The broader context here is that the incident raises questions about how party leaders behave on social media. Both Reform UK and the Greens are competing for political attention. Polanski's decision to share the image, and then delete it, raises questions about the judgment expected of party leaders when they share content that could be seen as threatening. Farage's decision to report the post himself, rather than leaving it to party officials, fits his direct style of political engagement and ensured the matter reached the police quickly.

The police inquiries are at an early stage. The Guardian described officers as "making inquiries," which usually comes before a formal investigation and does not mean any offence has been committed. The Crown Prosecution Service, which decides whether to bring criminal charges in England and Wales, would only become involved depending on the outcome of those inquiries.

One detail worth flagging: the Green Party of England and Wales is separate from the Scottish Greens, who are a different party in Scottish politics. Polanski's leadership covers England and Wales only, which matters when thinking about how far any political fallout from this episode might reach.