Over the past years, fake news has been the tool used to spread disinformation where, most recently, the victim is London’s Muslim Mayor, Sadiq Khan. Then, a flood of posts misquotes fabricated quotes from an interview that Khan gave to Islam Channel wherein the former was supposed to have guaranteed certain benefits to Muslims just before the recent mayoral elections. Such posts are usually circulated from accounts that promote xenophobia, Islamophobia and actual extremists, and they are entirely false and used to spread misinformation.
This is quite misleading based on the actual situation. Interviews were also conducted by Islam Channel with Sadiq Khan and other candidates for the position of mayor so that the viewers could get acquainted with the solutions each candidate had to offer. However, some posts on X (formerly Twitter) represent the manipulated version of this interview. The video clip has a false quote that says: ‘Muslim children who are under-employed or in the wrong occupations will be entitled to subsidies, and I will build accommodation for Muslims. ”The poster subsequently stokes the agenda further with the phrase “He wants to Islamize London.
After a short and thorough investigation, Reuters Fact Check has determined that the X account @RadioGenoa is the author of this post. The account has often been seen as causing disinformation against immigrants. This time, it has yet again published false information without any call-out in the community against this disinformation.
The same trend can be noted in social media posts that misinterpret Khan’s statements. They insert small parts of the interview over text that reads ‘Khan’s London – another 46000 houses for young Muslims to be built in London’ and ‘open education for newly arrived doctors and engineers’. It is no accident that all of these exaggerations and omissions have been specifically designed to create the misperception that Khan has not been pursuing the policies he has.
The Reuters Fact Check asked the Mayor of London for clarification and noted that Khan made no such promises. The spokesperson further stated, “The mayor does NOT say these words and can easily be heard talking about his policy where he offers free skills training to any young Londoner who is unemployed or earning scanty wages, and also talking about the importance of and plans to build homes for all.
Contrary to the misrepresentation of Khan’s interview, his campaign for mayor of London was marked by promises of inclusivity and support for all Londoners, regardless of their background. His interview with the Islam Channel did not include any exclusive Muslim promises. Instead, he confidently stated: ‘Everyone who is low income or not working in London will get free training to get the skills for jobs created in London’. This reaffirms Khan’s commitment to inclusiveness, dedication, and effort to help every Londoner.
Political debates are usually held with many people involved, and the candidates target different groups within society. But this doesn’t mean one starts making promises that only please a particular audience segment. Khan does not advocate for the enrichment of a specific community; as he clarified in his interview, his policy proposals are intended to improve the welfare of all Londoners, especially those in need.
This incident is a stark reminder of how easily disinformation can be spread on platforms like Twitter. It underscores the importance of each individual’s role in fact-checking, verifying claims, and understanding the reality behind political statements and proposals.
