Immigrant

Was a video of a crowd of people chanting, clapping, and drumming recorded in Belfast during the June 2026 anti-immigrant protests? No, that's not true: The clip had been online since May of that year. The original caption said it showed soccer fans in Germany. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X by @KDJRadioShow…

Did U.K.'s Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly threaten to arrest X owner Elon Musk along with other "336 million Americans"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories reviewed Starmer's public comments about Musk and did not find anything remotely close to what social media attributed to the prime minister. The claim about hundreds of millions to be arrested is implausible on…

Does a video show masked, armed members of the anti-immigrant "New Republican Movement" responding to a Belfast, Northern Ireland, knife attack in early June 2026? No, that's not true: The footage is from that group, but the video is from December 2025, six months earlier than the incident. In the clip, a statement is read that threatens local politicians over…

Does a viral video of fires capture the aftermath of the June 9, 2026, anti-immigration protests in Belfast, Northern Ireland? No, that's not true: The recording showed explosions that same day on a gas pipeline in Russia's Dagestan. The original sound did not include any chants -- that was later digitally added to the version of the video that went…

Does a video from June 2026 show a fire lit by rioters in Belfast, Northern Ireland after a knife attack incident involving a refugee from Sudan? No, that's not true: The video predates the June 8, 2026, knife attack in Belfast. Video of the individuals setting fire to a home was originally published on X almost a year ago, on…

Did Rep. Ilhan Omar incorrectly say "World War Eleven" instead of "World War II" without correcting herself? No, that's not true: Omar did misspeak saying "World War Eleven" in January 2025 but the part where she corrected herself was cut off in a clip of the incident that went viral. In the original video she immediately corrected herself, substituting "Two"…

Did California pay the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) more than $100 million mainly to fund protests as a viral social media post said? No, that's not true: California's payments to CHIRLA were overwhelmingly tied to immigration legal services and social welfare programs. There is no evidence in state budget records that any funds were used to pay or…

Did Barbra Streisand, British politician Nigel Farage and Kevin Costner each say "Our country would be safer without Somali immigrants -- starting with Ilhan Omar!"? No, that's not true: Nearly identical stories featuring those and other famous people were published by a network of foreign websites and Facebook pages. There were no news articles about such an event and the…

Does a viral post accurately summarize Zohran Mamdani's words from a podcast recorded more than five years before he was sworn in as New York City mayor? No, that's not true: The quote was shortened, and it changed its meaning. A longer, more elaborate fragment of his speech shows that he suggested that it shouldn't be the police, but specially…

Does Sweet Angel Child Care's phone number dial directly to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's office? No, that's not true: The child care center's phone number as listed on the state licensing website and several other online directories does not connect to the governor's office. The number dialed in an online video making the claim was on a Google map listing,…