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Does This Video Show Muslims Assaulting Hindus In Birmingham, Uk? No, Viral Claim Is False
India, 7 Oct 2022 12:10 PM GMT | Updated 7 Oct 2022 12:24 PM GMT
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While sharing the video, social media users claimed that in Birmingham, a temple was burnt by Muslims during Navratri and that Hindus were beaten up. The claim alleges England police were ineffective in Saving Hindus. The Logical Indian fact-check team verified the viral claim.
A video showing a building going up in flames is viral across social media with the claim that it shows a Hindu temple being set ablaze in Birmingham, UK.
The video is viral in the context of the recent Navaratri festival, which took place from Monday, 26 September, to Wednesday, 5 October. The social media posts claim that Muslims attacked Hindus in Birmingham.
The video shows a cloud of smoke rising over a supermarket in Birmingham. Even as the building burns in the backdrop, the video shows a fight between a group of men in front of the supermarket. Firefighters and people around try to stop the physical altercation, but the group of men keep assaulting each other.
The caption reads, "Birmingham temple burnt by Muslims during Navratri. Hindus beaten up. England police ineffective in Saving Hindus".
The video is viral across Twitter and Facebook with the same claim.
Claim:
A temple was set ablaze in Birmingham, UK by Muslims and Hindus were beaten up.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian fact-check team verified the viral claim and found it false. We found that the fire broke out at Zeenat Supermarket in Birmingham and not at a Hindu temple, as claimed with the viral video.
We went through the video several times and noticed the name of the supermarket and the store beside it. The store is named 'Zeenat Supermarket', and the store to its side is 'SM Vapes'. Taking this as a cue, we conducted a keyword search to check whether these stores were located in Birmingham, England.
We conducted a keyword search across Google Maps and found that the stores were located at 823 Alum Rock Road, a locality in Birmingham.
We conducted another keyword search with the supermarket's name and came across a report by Birmingham Mail published on September 20, 2022. The Birmingham Mail report noted that a school was closed on September 19 after a massive fire broke out at Zeenat supermarket located on Alum Rock Road.
The report noted that it was not clear what led to the fire. However, there was a reference to the viral video on social media showing authorities restraining men as the blaze raged in the backdrop.
The Birmingham Mail report included a quote from an onlooker who observed the fight. The onlooker said the fight began as a driver refused to move their parked car.
"The driver was asked to move it (his vehicle because of the fire) by staff who were understandably distressed and for some reason he took offence. Soon afterwards it went off with his mate at the front of the store. Fists were flying and fruit was all over the floor. It was an ugly scene," said the report.
We also came across a report by the BBC published on 20 September 2022. The report titled, 'Birmingham shop fire: Dozens of firefighters tackle blaze' provided details about the fire that broke out near the Zeenat Supermarket in Alum Rock Road on 19 September.
About 80 firefighters had been fighting the large fire at the supermarket in Birmingham, and 12 fire tenders were sent to Alum Rock Road. The fire service had said that it had no reports of injuries.
We also came across a Daily Mail article published on 20 September 202,2. The article contains a video of the incident, the same footage as the viral video. The article describes the clip as showing the men punching and hurling watermelons at each other. The report notes that a woman can be seen attempting to break up the brawl.
The Daily Mail report quotes West Midlands Police, who issued a statement: "We are investigating after a fight broke out at the scene of a fire on Alum Rock Road, Birmingham on 19 September. The investigation is in the early stages, but we believe the fight was started due to a cordon in place at the scene. No-one was seriously injured".
The report quotes a tweet by the West Midlands Police from their official Twitter handle. The tweet states, "Our investigators are satisfied that last night's supermarket fire in Saltley started accidentally, when the outdoor burning of rubbish spread to the building".
In response to a Twitter user, the West Midlands Police says that the fire at a supermarket in Birmingham on 19 September was caused accidentally when a rubbish fire spread to the building.
In another tweet, the West Midlands Police say, "We believe the fight was connected to an issue with the parking of some cars and that it was an isolated incident."
Conclusion:
In our Fact Check, we found that the fire broke out at Zeenat Supermarket in Birmingham and not at a Hindu temple as claimed. The fire broke out on 19 September, which comes before the beginning of the Navratri festival. As per reports, the fight occurred over a car parking disagreement unrelated to the fire. Thus, we can ascertain that the video is circulated with a false claim.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
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