VIRAL HATE CAMPAIGN AGAINST DUDLEY TEACHER AFTER FAKE RACIST VIDEO SHARED

A teacher was subject to a viral hate campaign after a manipulated video of her campaigning for Labour falsely implied she had used racist language.

The video, taken on a Ring doorbell in Dudley, used subtitles to suggest the woman had used a slur against Pakistani people. It went viral on social media and was promoted by Akhmed Yakoob, the independent candidate who came third in the West Midlands mayoral elections.

Labour said it had employed an external digital forensics company, which found the video had been manipulated. Qasim Mughal, a Dudley Labour councillor and friend of the teacher and who had been campaigning alongside her at the time the comments were filmed, has strongly denied the teacher used the language. Police have examined the video and found no evidence of abuse.

Yakoob promoted the video on TikTok and X, where he has hundreds of thousands of followers, including a follow-up video that included the woman’s name and the school where she teaches. The post went viral on TikTok and WhatsApp, where it is especially difficult to stop the spread of content.

Yakoob, a solicitor who plans to run for parliament at the next election, told Birmingham Live he had not intended to cause distress, and the video was difficult to hear. At the time of writing it was still live on his Instagram stories.

Labour said the manipulated video was deeply concerning. “Manipulated digital assets pose a threat to the community cohesion we work hard to foster, as well as to the integrity of the democratic process,” the party said. “It is disappointing and irresponsible for an unsuccessful candidate in a recent election to share a manipulated digital asset in an attempt to undermine a successful Labour campaign.”

The analysis of the video, which examined the waveforms and audio playback speeds, suggested there had been changes to the volume in the second section of the video where the alleged racist comments were made.

The woman is seen to go to a door and ask the resident whether they had voted for Labour, to which the resident replies that he voted for Yakoob. The subtitles in the video suggest she utters the racist slur as she walks away.

Mughal told Birmingham Live the woman had been saying she did not understand the resident’s reply, and then began reading out the house number for the next door knock.

Forensic analysis found that the volume of the alleged racist comments was discernibly louder than the question “who did he vote for?” asked by the other male canvasser in the video, which suggested it had been altered. It found the subtitles were not correct and the alleged language was not used.

It is understood the teacher is not a Labour member and was not aware of any of the names of other candidates running for election. Mughal said she was a volunteer helping him with his campaign.

He said: “It is concerning that Akhmed Yakoob was a candidate running for public office just a few days ago and has now shared false information on social media which has led to death threats and hate speech. People in the West Midlands, and across the whole country, deserve better than this from candidates running to represent them.

“The allegations made are categorically untrue, and we cannot forget there is a person at the centre of this who is facing real-life consequences for Yakoob’s actions.”

Labour politicians have condemned the use of the video. Mary Creagh, a former Labour MP who is standing in Coventry East at the next election, said: “The failed independent candidate for West Midlands mayor has spread disinformation and caused deep distress to a local teacher.”

Jim McMahon, the shadow levelling up minister, said: “More toxicity, more smears, another innocent campaigner targeted and harassed. Now pretty routine in British politics. Grim.”

Yakoob has been contacted for comment. A Labour source said: “That Akhmed Yakoob thinks he can lead a pile-on on an innocent woman and remain a parliamentary candidate speaks volumes about how unsuitable he is to be a public representative.”

Stuart Bathurst Catholic High school, where the woman works, saidit hoped to be able to say more on Wednesday but that the incident was “very distressing for all concerned.”

A spokesperson for West Midlands police said it had obtained the original audio and examined it. “We have found no evidence of any racist slurs or language used. The canvasser has received significant abuse as a result of the footage being released on social media, which is distressing. She has been fully updated regarding our findings and offered our support.”

2024-05-08T13:14:47Z dg43tfdfdgfd