Southport

Was a man in England sentenced to 7½ years in jail just because of his social media posts? No, that's not true: He was sentenced based on charges involving violence, according to the police organization handling his arrest. The man, a taxi driver, also used social media to publish content related to far-right riots. The claim appeared in a post…

Was a man in the U.K. sentenced to 20 months in jail for a Facebook post "that opposes mass immigration"? No, that's not true: Posts on social media saying that omitted that the man was convicted for inciting violence at the time of anti-immigrant riots sweeping the country. He was convicted of "using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour…

Does a viral picture of U.K. police officers appearing to kneel to a group of men in traditional Islamic clothes portray a real-life scene? No, that's not true: Three AI detectors said the image was generated using AI. The image showed classic indicators of that such as missing body parts and unnaturally positioned limbs. The image reappeared in a post…

Did police in the United Kingdom arrest an 11-year-old child in August 2024 for posting "mean tweets"? No, that's not true: Authorities in Cleveland, England, told Lead Stories, "We haven't arrested an 11-year-old for sending mean tweets." One 11-year-old suspect was taken into custody for arson, while another was detained for "violent disorder." The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Did the United Kingdom and France issue a "Secret International Arrest Warrant" for Elon Musk? No, that's not true: No news organizations reported anything about the supposedly existing "secret" arrest warrant for Musk approved within jurisdictions of the U.K. or France. The International Criminal Court that issues international arrest warrants denied there is one for the owner of the X…

Was a U.K. man sentenced to over two years behind bars for "waving an English flag"? No, that's not true: The man pleaded guilty to religiously aggravated harassment, having an article with intent to destroy or damage property and obstructing or resisting a constable. Social media posts omitted information about the actual charges in this case, which had nothing to…

Did police in Merseyside, England, single out far-right Southport rioters by publishing their addresses online? No, that's not true: Merseyside police routinely release information on people charged with a variety of crimes, their X account shows. The force only releases the names of arrestees when they are charged, a Merseyside police spokeswoman told Lead Stories. A police news release showed…

Does a social media video show police apprehending a elderly man on a scooter who was involved in a "far-right" riot in the United Kingdom in 2024? No, that's not true: At least two media organizations have reported that this video shows a police incident in Amsterdam in 2022. This video footage does not show a participant in one of…

Did The Daily Telegraph publish an article by Fiona Parker reporting that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering "emergency detainment camps" on the Falkland Islands? No, that's not true: The publication said, "No such article has ever been published by the Telegraph." There is no publicly available information showing Starmer is planning such camps. The claim appeared in a…

Does a viral image show a suspect in the U.K. stabbing that left three little girls dead in July 2024? No, that's not true: Posts on social media recycled an unrelated image from 2023. The police did not disclose the identity of the person arrested or release an image of him. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on…