Green Party Leader Under Fire for Controversial Comments on Golders Green Incident

Green Party leader Mark Polanski found himself at the center of growing controversy following his comments about a police response to a knife attack in Golders Green, north London, where two Jewish men were stabbed last week.

In an interview with BBC’s Nick Robinson, Polanski attempted to clarify his position, stating: “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.”

The controversy stems from Polanski’s assertion that the suspect was handcuffed during the police response. Video footage of the incident, which has circulated widely online, contradicts this claim, showing the man was not handcuffed and officers can be heard repeatedly shouting “drop the knife.” This discrepancy was quickly highlighted by social media commentators, including Mark Wallace, chief executive of the Total Politics group, who wrote: “This isn’t right. The attacker wasn’t handcuffed, he was still holding a knife.”

BBC presenter Robinson did not challenge the factual inaccuracy in Polanski’s statement but instead questioned why the Green leader chose to “empathise with the attacker” rather than with the officers who “feared for their own lives and were trying to protect other people.”

The fallout from Polanski’s initial response has been significant. Both politicians across party lines and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley have condemned his remarks. Polanski subsequently apologized for “sharing a tweet in haste,” acknowledging that “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.”

The incident marks a significant setback for the 43-year-old Green leader, who had been enjoying a period of unprecedented success since taking leadership in September 2025. Under his stewardship, the Greens had achieved record polling levels and secured a parliamentary by-election victory in Manchester.

However, the controversy appears to have damaged Polanski’s standing with the public. According to a survey conducted by More in Common, his approval rating has plummeted from -13% to -27%, representing a 14-point drop in just one week. This decline has positioned him behind Reform UK’s Nigel Farage in the rankings, though he still remains ahead of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who currently holds an approval rating of -45%.

Before the controversy, Polanski’s rating had placed him just above Farage but behind Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.

Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common, commented that the shift in public opinion demonstrates that the backlash from the Golders Green incident has “very definitely cut through” to voters, a timing that could prove problematic with local elections scheduled for Thursday.

The incident raises questions about the Green Party’s messaging on law enforcement issues and could potentially impact their performance in upcoming elections. It also highlights the challenges political leaders face when responding to sensitive incidents involving community safety and policing, particularly in areas with significant minority communities.

The Green Party has been contacted for comment on the matter, but had not responded at the time of publication.