An August 7 Instagram post features a TikTok video of police officers using power saws to cut through a house’s front door. The accompanying text in the video suggests this action is connected to ongoing protests in the United Kingdom. The video quickly gained traction, amassing over 9,000 likes within two days and sparking similar posts on other platforms like X (formerly Twitter), which also received significant attention.
The UK experienced riots in early August 2024 following the stabbing deaths of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29. The accused, an 18-year-old, faced murder charges, and social media users incorrectly labeled him as a Muslim immigrant.
This misinformation led to anti-Muslim protests and an attempted mosque attack. The UK government vowed to prosecute those involved in inciting violence, including those using social media for this purpose.
Misleading Instagram Post Claims Police Raid Is Linked to UK Protests
However, the Instagram video in question is not related to these riots. Instead, it depicts an unrelated drug raid that occurred months before the protests. The clip is from May 15 and shows police officers executing a raid across Manchester, which involved about 300 officers and led to 19 arrests. This information aligns with a video posted by an independent news outlet in Birmingham.
The caption of the TikTok video from August 6 accurately describes the drug raid and identifies the location as Manchester. However, it incorrectly states the timing, claiming the raid happened “this morning” rather than in May. Despite the misleading context provided by the Instagram post, the video itself does not pertain to the recent riots.
While the video in the Instagram post appears to be a recent event tied to the riots, it is actually footage from a past drug raid. The confusion arises from the video’s misattribution and incorrect timing in the caption, which has been used to fuel false narratives about the UK protests and police actions.
