AAP FACTCHECK – The UK’s prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, is considering building emergency detention camps for rioters, according to viral posts online.
The claim is based on a headline supposedly from British newspaper The Telegraph.
This is false. The Telegraph confirmed the headline is fabricated and no such article was published.
The headline matches the font and formatting of the newspaper and includes the byline of a real journalist, senior news reporter Fiona Parker. It shows the publication time as 11.21am on August 7, 2024.
A screenshot of the fake article shows text claiming the UK government is “considering building ’emergency detainment camps’ on the Falkland Islands” (an overseas territory of the UK in the South Atlantic Ocean) “to detain prisoners from the ongoing riots as the British prison system is already at capacity”.
A completely different and genuine story written by Ms Parker about a Conservative party councillor’s wife being arrested, after allegedly calling for hotels housing migrants to be set on fire, shares the same timestamp as the fake article.
The news outlet addressed the fabrication on August 8, writing on its site: “Prime Minister Keir Starmer has considered no such thing in response to the unrest that has swept Britain’s streets over the past week and a half.
“Nor has anyone at the Telegraph written anything of the kind.”
Co-leader of far-right group Britain First Ashlea Simon posted the screenshot on X (formerly Twitter), captioning it: “We’re all being deported to the Falklands.”
X boss Elon Musk then shared her post, adding the comment: “‘Detainment Camps’ …” though he deleted his post approximately 30 minutes later.
Screenshots show it had gained nearly two million views before it was removed.
Mr Musk’s post was shared widely on other social media platforms.
One Facebook post share bore the caption: “Native Britons being deported to detainment camps.”
The fatal stabbing of three young girls in the northwest English town of Southport has been seized on by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups, with misinformation and disinformation online fuelling disorder in towns and cities across the UK.
AAP FactCheck has debunked several claims relating to the stabbing and subsequent riots, including around the attacker’s identity and those involved in the disorder.
The Verdict
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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