FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show A Tweet About Migrants From A British Parliament Member?
A post shared on Facebook purports British Parliament Member Diane Abbott said if “you treat migrants like rapists then they are going to behave like rapists.”
Verdict: False
The photo is digitally fabricated. Abbott confirmed to Reuters that she did not publish such a tweet.
Fact Check:
The U.K. and France struck a deal in an effort to stop illegal migrants from crossing into England via the English Channel, according to Reuters. Some of the money used in the deal would be used for increased surveillance of French beaches, BBC News reported.
A Facebook post allegedly shows a tweet from Abbott making a statement about migrants. The alleged tweet was posted the evening of Nov. 3. “My earlier tweet regarding the rape of the teenager in the migrant home may have been slightly raw in content but I maintain my theory,” the alleged tweet reads. “You treat migrants like rapists then they are going to behave like rapists.”
This tweet is an alleged follow-up to a legitimate tweet from Abbott about a teenage boy who was raped at hotel housing refugees. “Is this one some sort of an apology?” The Facebook post’s caption reads.
Teenage boy raped at hotel housing refugees. Terrible case. But it is what happens when you demonise migrants and take NO responsibility for safeguarding migrant children. #SuellaBravermanOut pic.twitter.com/TDTCNwBF5Y
— Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) November 3, 2022
The apology tweet is fabricated. Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to confirm that the tweet existed. Likewise, it could not be found on Abbott’s verified Twitter account or on archived versions of the account. (RELATED: Does This Image Show U.K. Parliament Members Fighting In October 2022?)
“I have never said those words publicly and I did not delete the ‘tweet’ because I did not tweet it,” Abbott told Reuters.
This is not the first time misinformation has spread about a British politician. Check Your Fact previously debunked a claim that British Home Secretary Suella Braverman was pictured wearing a swastika on the cover of Time Magazine.
