THE Metropolitan Police chief has been criticised after saying Zack Polanski amplified "inaccurate and misinformed commentary" about an arrest following the Golders Green attack.
After two Jewish men were stabbed in the north London area on Wednesday, two officers tasered and kicked the suspect in the head while trying to prise a knife from his hand.
Green Party of England and Wales leader Polanski then retweeted a post on X which said: "Essentially his officers were repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head when he was already incapacitated by [a] taser."
Met chief Mark Rowley wrote a letter to Polanski to say he was "disappointed" in the politician after sharing the commentary, with Welsh Green leader Anthony Slaughter also saying Polanski's behaviour was "inappropriate".
The letter was publicly shared on social media.
But Rowley has since been heavily condemned for a "reckless political intervention", with some critics saying they have filed complaints.
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Polanski has since apologised for the tweet saying: "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.
"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. I have invited Mark Rowley to meet with me to discuss the police response and the wider issues raised in his letter."
Independent investigative journalist Paul Holden posted on X that he had submitted a complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
"Whatever one makes of Zack Polanski's retweet, Mark Rowley's letter to @ZackPolanski is a needless and reckless political intervention during a highly competitive local election period and distraction during a time of considerable agitation, fear and upset," he posted.
Holden's letter, which he shared publicly, said: "This letter constitutes a serious intervention by the Police Commissioner in a manner that will raise concerns about the political impartiality of the Met Police. I believe it violates the Met Police's requirement to act in a politically impartial manner.
"The letter was directed to a party political leader in response to retweet that the leader was entitled to make, even if it was ill-informed or ill-conceived.
"The Commissioner must know that during election periods it is anticipated that civil servants and other public officials will observe customary ‘purdah’ principles.
"There was no reason for the letter to be made public. Mr Polanski is part of the London Assembly, which regularly liaises with the Metropolitan Police on operational matters. The Commissioner’s concerns could have been raised constructively in private first.
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"It is appalling that in a moment where the country requires time to reflect, commune and heal in the wake of a terrorist attack, the Commissioner has created needless political scandal, spectacle and controversy that distracts from these concerns."
Sir Rowley's letter to Zack Polanski was a reckless political intervention during the local election period. I urge everyone to submit a complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct: I have provided a template letter below for people to adapt.
Complain here:…— The Fraud (@StarmertheFraud) May 1, 2026
The Met Police is set to review whether pro-Palestine marches can go ahead in the wake of the Golders Green attack.
Rowley told BBC Breakfast on Friday that the use of "extreme force" by his officers in this circumstance was "completely reasonable".
He added that the letter was forthright and he had not written it lightly, but that he needed to step in because an eminent person reinforced criticism "that will undermine confidence in my officers to act in the protection of citizens".
Essa Suleiman, 45, has been charged with attempted murder and appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday morning.
Declassified UK chief investigator Martin Williams posted: "Regardless of what one thinks about Polanski's perspective on this, this is an outrageous political intervention by the Met Police – at a time when they should be focused on preventing further horrific terror attacks.
"In a democracy, it is vital in that political leaders feel able to criticise the police, especially when they are literally filmed kicking someone in the head.
"Many people will of course disagree with Polanski's view, as is their right. But if we want any pretence of free speech and democratic accountability then this attempt by the police to suppress political expression and influence elections should be condemned by people across the political spectrum."
Former Al Jazeera editor Barry Malone added on X: "Sorry. Isn’t the Met legally prohibited from engaging in political activity? This letter to Zack Polanski, and the decision to publish it here, certainly doesn’t seem apolitical."
On Thursday, Rowley said that the officers had not been armed and feared the suspect had been carrying an explosive device.
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