The London Metropolitan Police (the Met) issued a statement on Tuesday denying that it had called on local Jews to stay home to avoid anti-Israel protests near synagogues, chiding those who shared the misinformation as causing unnecessary panic.
The rumor was circulated on Saturday by an X/Twitter account called GB Politics, without citing a source. “Police request British Jews to stay at home as pro-Palestine marches near synagogues,” read the now-deleted social media post.
The information was shared and commented on by large accounts with tens of thousands of followers, as well as politicians such as London Assembly Member Susan Hall.
British political commentator Darren Grimes, who has almost half a million followers on X, shared the news, calling it a national disgrace that “law-abiding citizens are told to hide while extremists roam free.”
Proliferation of fake news
The proliferation of the fake news led the Met to issue a social media statement slamming the post as “totally false.”“It’s misinformation that will only increase fear and concern in Jewish communities,” it wrote on Tuesday.
The Met speculated that the account, which posts news headlines, was made to look like it was part of a “well-known news channel,” likely a reference to Great Britain News, which is widely known as GB News.
“Please check the authenticity of accounts before sharing unverified or unsourced claims,” cautioned the Met.
Community Security Trust open-source intelligence and technology manager Danny Morris noted on social media on Monday that the fake news spread by the verified account was representative of a wider issue on X in which users could “simply purchase blue ticks and masquerade as legitimate, reputable news sources.”
Morris said that the account was founded by a Mansfield teenager, but it was unclear if he was still running it.“I know it’s tempting to repost, tempting to perhaps add your [own] thoughts on how ‘Britain has fallen’, but don’t fall into the trap!” said Morris.
“The community it ends up damaging the most is the British-Jewish community. A community full of resilience, strength, and tenacity, who have stood up to so many challenges these past 18 months. Our reality is challenging enough without inventing lies which create further anxiety.”
Though the news was false, the post struck a chord with many as London continued to endure weekly Saturday anti-Israel marches in its streets. The marches have caused apprehension among London Jews, in particular due to Saturday also being the Jewish Shabbat.
As some protests have been planned to march near synagogues, the Met has had to set restrictions and routes for the rallies to assuage fears of Jewish worshipers.
In January, the Met set a new route for a Palestine Solidarity Campaign march, which sparked further protests from activists for what they argued was a restriction on the rights of assembly and expression.