London: A divisive claim about police brutality has deepened Britain’s public row on antisemitism and forced the nation’s Greens leader to apologise for maligning police just days away from national elections.
Greens leader Zack Polanski apologised for sharing a social media post that rebuked the police over the tactics they used to stop a man accused of stabbing two Jewish men on a London street.
Amid a fierce debate about the threats to British Jews, the criticism of the police drew support from some on social media but derision from public leaders.
The alleged assailant, Essa Suleiman, 45, appeared in court in London on Friday morning (Friday night AEST) to face two counts of attempted murder over the attacks the previous day. He was also charged with attempted murder over a separate incident earlier on Thursday.
Suleiman, who was born in Somalia and is a British citizen, confirmed his name and date of birth but did not enter a plea. He remains in custody and is due to appear in court again on May 15.
Graphic footage of the attack showed the assailant lunging at a man at a bus stop in the north London neighbourhood of Golders Green. Some of the footage also showed police officers telling the suspect to drop his knife and then using Tasers to subdue him. Two officers kicked him in the head while he lay on the ground and kept hold of the knife.
The footage triggered posts on X that accused the officers of police brutality, one of them saying they were “repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head when he was already incapacitated” by the Taser.
When Polanski retweeted that post, Metropolitan Police commissioner Mark Rowley took the unusual step of writing to the Greens leader and making the letter public to defend the officers.
“These officers are nothing short of extraordinary,” wrote Rowley.
“They were on the scene within a few minutes, and their actions undoubtedly prevented further injury and saved lives.
“The officers confronted a dangerous man, they believed to be a terrorist, who refused to show his hands, who was violent, and who continued to pose a clear threat. They were not armed officers, and they feared he was concealing an explosive device.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Polanski’s criticism was “disgraceful” and he was not fit to lead a political party.
The furore came six days before voters cast their ballots for local councils across the UK as well as parliaments in Scotland and Wales, with polls indicating a backlash against Starmer and the Labour Party he leads.
Polanski is seen as a likely winner from a split in the electorate as voters desert Labour, with some moving to the left while others shift to populist leader Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party.
Polanski, who is Jewish, has condemned antisemitic attacks and spoken of being subject to antisemitic abuse. He has also defended the right of people to march against Israel’s war in Gaza, and he has warned against tighter rules on protests, saying they would curb free speech and civil liberties.
He reacted to the criticism on Friday by undoing the retweet and apologising.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
David Crowe is Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.