Guwahati: A video showing a building engulfed in flames has gone viral on social media with claims that Muslims had set fire to a Hindu temple in Birmingham, UK, during the Navratri festivities.
People sharing the video also claim that Muslims beat Hindus outside the temple.
Sharing the video on Twitter, one user (@sanjayfandavis1) wrote: “Birmingham temple burned by Muslims during Navratri. Hindus beaten. The police in England are ineffective in saving Hindus.”
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However, EastMojo noted that the claim is misleading and that there was no incident of violence between any of the communities, as claimed on social media.
fact check
We sliced the video into several keyframes using the InVid video analysis tool and noticed a screenshot with a sign saying “SM Vapes.” We then used Google Maps to search for ‘SM Vapes’ in Birmingham and found Google Street View images of the place located on Alum Rock Road.
After this we did a keyword search using ‘Zeenat Supermarket Birmingham fight’ and found a report posted on Birmingham Post on September 20, 2022. We compared the video embedded in the report with the viral video and found that both videos show the same incident.
According to the report, on September 19 a fight broke out outside the Zeenat store on Alum Rock Road in Birmingham. “Bearded Broz posted footage of the fight on Facebook, showing a group of men launching an attack in front of fruit and vegetables. vegetable shows on Monday, September 19,” he stated.
It also claims that the fight “broke out while firefighters were working to put out the flames” in the building.
Another report published by the Birmingham Mail on 20 September 2022 stated that “the cause of the fire was unknown”.
According to the West Midland Fire Service the fire had started accidentally. “UPDATE: Our investigators are convinced that last night’s supermarket fire in Saltley started accidentally, when open burning of rubbish spread to the building,” he tweeted.
Nowhere in the reports or statement from the West Midland Fire Service is there any mention of any Hindu temples burning down or any clashes between Hindus and Muslims taking place as claimed on social media.
This clearly shows that the claim is misleading.
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