Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley hit out at Green Party leader Zack Polanski on BBC Breakfast as the show issued a breaking news alert to announce Essa Suleiman has been charged with attempted murder. It comes after a video of police subduing the Golders Green stabbing suspect after two people were stabbed on April 29th, with the officers seen kicking and Tasering the man. Polanski reposted 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 Taser.”
Today on BBC Breakfast, when asked about Polanski’s comment, he said: “I wrote a forthright letter to him yesterday, which has been out on social media. I don’t do that lightly. Politics is a matter of politicians, not for me.
“But when somebody who’s eminent steps into operational policing and reinforces criticisms that will undermine the confidence of my officers to act in the protection of citizens, I need to step forward and say, no, that’s not acceptable, because I need my officers to be confident in the most dangerous and difficult circumstances.
“I had two unarmed officers confronting a man who they were convinced was a terrorist in their own view in that moment. They were convinced of that.
“The fact they use very extreme force is, in my view, in that situation completely reasonable. And I’m not sure there’d be many people on this call who’d like to be in their situation.
“And those officers need to know they’ve got my support. I’m grateful, the sort of correspondence I put online last night, the amount of public support for the officers that’s come out from social media has been enormous, and I really appreciate the public backing them.”
Viewers rushed to social media to hit out at Polanski, as one wrote: “Well done those officers, well done Sir Mark Rowley for sticking up for them. Shame on Polanski who is obviously leaning into that radical Muslim vote. Thank god you’ll never be PM.”
Another added: “It’s just a shame the officers didn’t kick that piece of scum in the head harder. As for Polanski, total waste of space who clearly shows what he’s side he’s on!”
A third chimed in: “Polanski is a feckless idiot. If it were up to him the police would be still asking the terrorist nicely to put the knife down.”
But a fourth hit out: “BBC Breakfast really going all out to discredit Zac Polanski this morning, feel threatened much?”
BBC Breakfast airs weekdays at 6am on BBC1.
