Shared Post X(formerly known as Twitter) claims to show British police searching the home of a suspected anti-immigration protester as part of a crackdown on participants in recent riots across the UK.
Manchester police search homes of people deemed 'far-right'
They are literally going after native British people who take part in protests. pic.twitter.com/fXWHGY9PAz
— Flamethrower (@amwogakhalwale) August 7, 2024
Verdict: False
The video was filmed in May 2024, prior to the current riots in the UK, when police were searching a house in Manchester as part of a drugs crackdown.
Fact check:
Anti-immigration protests in the UK have turned violent, with protesters reportedly storming a hotel housing asylum seekers, after misinformation about a suspect in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class spread online. The Washington PostLabour Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned “far-right mob behaviour” over the violent protests and vowed that anyone who took part in the riots “will face the full force of the law”. Reuters Reported.
The post, shared on X, shows British officers sawing open the front door of a home, then smashing it down with a battery ram. Text in the video reads: “Manchester Police make 22 arrests.”
“Police in Manchester are searching the homes of people deemed 'far right',” the post's caption read. “They are literally going after anyone from the UK who attended a protest.” (Related: Fact check: Facebook post misidentifies suspect in Southport, UK stabbing)
The video predates the recent anti-immigrant riots and was part of a war on drugs operation. A reverse image search by Check Your Fact uncovered the same video. YouTubedated 15th May 2024 and headlined “Police search 22 locations across Manchester for suspected drug-related crime.”
At least 300 police officers were present in the Piccadilly Gardens area of Manchester as part of Operation Vulcan. Yahoo!NewsThe Manchester Evening News reported that at least 23 arrest warrants had been executed and 24 suspects had been arrested.
Operation Balkan was due to launch in November 2022 and aimed to disrupt organized crime groups that were being used for money laundering, drug trafficking and “modern slavery”, it said. Manchester Community Care OrganisationManchester Police, statementannounced that as of November 2023, the operation had seized “1,040 tonnes of counterfeit goods, worth an estimated £143.5 million.”
Misinformation surrounding the recent riots in the UK has been spreading online, with Check Your Facts denying at least one initial claim that it had uncovered the identity of a suspect in a knife attack.
