Tag Archives: Riot

Did Tony Blair call for Digital ID mandate to suppress dissent?!

Did Tony Blair call for a Digital ID mandate to suppress dissent in the United Kingdom?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Tony Blair called for Digital ID mandate to suppress dissent!

People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claims that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has “ordered” the new Labour government to roll out the Digital ID in the UK to crack down on dissent and anti-establishment behaviour!

Here is an excerpt of the long and (intentionally?) confusing article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

Tony Blair Pushes UK Gov’t To Mandate ‘Digital ID’ To Crack Down on Dissent

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has ordered the new Labor government to prioritize the urgent roll out of digital ID in the UK to crack down on dissent and anti-establishment behavior.

Speaking at a conference hosted by his Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) in central London, Blair said mandating digital IDs could also improve citizens’ access to public services while clamping down on benefit fraud and illegal migration.

Blair, who is widely tipped to succeed Klaus Schwab as WEF director, acknowledged that there would be “a little work in persuading to do here, it must be said.”

The former prime minister was desperate to implement a digital ID scheme during his term in office, however public sentiment against the scheme proved impossible to sway.

Now it appears the globalist agenda is being rolled out, whether the public approve of the draconian measures or not.

However, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle pushed back against the idea – at least for now.

“Right now, the priority when it comes to accessing digital services or online services or services per se is actually about verification,” Kyle told ITV’s Peston on Monday.

“ID cards conjure images of a universal service that affects everybody online and offline and everywhere else.”

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Truth : Tony Blair did not call for Digital ID mandate to suppress dissent!

This is yet another example of fake news created / promoted by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Tony Blair wants Digital ID to control immigration, not dissent

Let me start by pointing out that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair argued for the UK to adopt a Digital ID to “control immigration”, by ensuring that “we know precisely who has a right to be here”.

We need a plan to control immigration. If we don’t have rules, we get prejudices. In office, I believed the best solution was a system of identity, so that we know precisely who has a right to be here. With, again, technology, we should move as the world is moving to digital ID. If not, new border controls will have to be highly effective.

As you can see, Tony Blair is promoting the Digital ID as a way to control immigration, not as a way to suppress dissent.

This was clearly pointed out in the Politico article that was quoted in the The People’s Voice article, which makes me wonder – why would The People’s Voice claim or suggest otherwise???

Fact #2 : Tony Blair suggested Digital ID weeks before 2024 UK riots

Tony Blair actually made his Digital ID suggestion in an article (archive) for The Sunday Times, which was published on Saturday, 6 July 2024.

In other words, he pushed the Digital ID idea more than 3 weeks before far-right, anti-immigration riots erupted in the UK. Obviously, his Digital ID proposal has nothing to do with the riots that would come three weeks later!

So why would The People’s Voice dig up his article from more than a month ago, to suggest that Tony Blair wanted a Digital ID mandate to suppress dissent???

Unsurprisingly, The People’s Voice article did not provide any evidence to back up its “fact checked” claim.

Fact #3 : Digital ID cannot suppress dissent

Tony Blair actually tried to introduce compulsory ID cards while he was Prime Minister, but the idea was scrapped because it proved to be deeply unpopular with the public.

Even if the United Kingdom implements a Digital ID mandate, it would only serve as a standardised way to ascertain someone’s identity and citizenship. Such a digital ID, or even a physical identity card, do nothing to suppress dissent – people can still protest, and people who commit crimes can still be identified and prosecuted even without a digital ID, or physical identity card.

Unsurprisingly, The People’s Voice article did not explain how a digital ID, or even a physical identity card, would suppress dissent…

Fact #4 : The People’s Voice Is Known For Fake News

The People’s Voice is the current name for NewsPunch, which possibly changed its name because its brand has been so thoroughly discredited after posting numerous shocking but fake stories.

Founded as Your News Wire in 2014, it was rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018, before becoming The People’s Voice. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news on Facebook that year.

Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should never share anything from NewsPunch / The People’s Voice. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Is Keir Starmer building detainment camps for UK rioters?!

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Is Keir Starmer planning to build emergency detainment camps to detain UK rioters?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Keir Starmer may build detainment camps for UK rioters!

This screenshot of an article by The Telegraph has gone viral, claiming that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is planning to build detainment camps to detain UK rioters.

Keir Starmer considering building ’emergency detainment camps’ on the Falkland Islands

The camps would be used to detain prisoners from the ongoing riots as the British prison system is already at capacity

Fiona Parker, Senior News Reporter
7 August 2024 11:31am

The screenshot went viral on X (formerly known as Twitter), after X owner Elon Musk shared it out to millions of his followers.

Ashlea Simon (deleted) : We’re all being deported to the Falklands

Elon Musk (deleted) : “Detainment Camps” …

KekMagician : *Gulags

honkholl : They’re considering building camps to send White Britons who oppose being replaced.

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Truth : Keir Starmer is not building detainment camps for UK rioters!

This is yet another example of fake news originating in X (formerly known as Twitter), and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : The Telegraph screenshot is fake

I should start by pointing out that the viral screenshot is completely fake.

Fiona Parker never wrote, and The Telegraph never published, any story claiming that Keir Starmer was considering the building of ’emergency detainment camps’ to detain UK rioters.

The Telegraph quickly denied that it published such an article, but unfortunately, its reach was much lower than that of Elon Musk – far fewer people saw its denial.

The Telegraph is aware of an image circulating on X which purports to be a Telegraph article about ’emergency detainment camps’. No such article has ever been published by the Telegraph.

The Telegraph also “notified relevant platforms and requested that the post be taken down“.

Fact #2 : No legitimate media reported on detention camp proposal

Anyone who spends even 5 seconds to check online would quickly realise that this is just more fake news on the X social media platform.

Not only is there no such article by The Telegraph, no other legitimate media outlet reported that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was considering a plan to build detention camps in the Falkland Islands to hold UK rioters.

If such a shocking story ever broke, it would have been reportedly widely not only in the United Kingdom, but across the world. Yet, there was no such story, no outraged editorials, nothing. That’s because it was all made up!

But don’t worry – you were not the only one who got fooled. Even one of the richest man in the world, whom some believe is a genius, got fooled.

Fact #3 : Ashlea Simon + Elon Musk deleted their posts

The screenshot appears to have circulated earlier, but only went viral after it was posted by Ashlea Simon – the co-leader of the far-right Britain First political party, and then shared by Elon Musk – the owner of X himself.

Due to his outsized reach and 193 million followers on X, the fake Telegraph screenshot was seen by almost 1 million people in the first 15 minutes, and at least 1.8 million people before Elon Musk deleted his post.

Ashlea Simon also deleted her post after some time. Neither Elon Musk nor Ashlea Simon acknowledged, nor apologised, for posting and then deleting the fake screenshot.

Fact #4 : No Community Notes appeared for Elon Musk’ post

While X has a Community Notes feature which allows X users to help provide context, or highlight fake or misleading posts, it lacks transparency and often works too slowly to matter.

X users who frequently post fake or misleading news can also circumvent the Community Notes feature by simply deleting their posts. Some do this repeatedly, posting and deleting fake or misleading posts after, or sometimes before they get “community-noted”.

For example, it took just under 10 hours for Ashlea Simon’s post to get community noted, with a tag that said:

This story does not exist. It is framed as a Telegraph story to make it appear real.

That Community Note only appeared for a brief time, because she quickly deleted the post. As for Elon Musk, his post never got “community noted” before he deleted it himself.

In any case, there’s no penalty in getting “community noted”. In fact, some of the most popular accounts on X are notorious for being “community noted”.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Were over 1,000 military vehicles sent to protect Xi Jinping?!

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Did the PLA deploy over 1,000 military vehicles to protect Chinese President Xi Jinping?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Over 1,000 Military Vehicles Sent To Protect Xi Jinping!

Some people are claiming or suggesting that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) sent over 1,000 military vehicles to protect Chinese President Xi Jinping during the CCP’s Third Plenary Session in Beijing!

It has even been suggested that those PLA military vehicles were sent because Xi Jinping suffered a stroke!

Jennifer Zeng : According to former Chinese journalist @uyunistar, over 1000 military vehicles were seen driving south from Wenzhou City in Zhejiang Province in China early this morning.

Not sure what is happening, or whether it is related to the rumor that Xi Jinping just had a stroke at the CCP’s Third Plenary Session yesterday, which I talked about here.

赵兰健［Lanjian Zhao］ (translated) : [Thousands of military vehicles: Wenzhou appeared and drove south]
[Strange Weapon: Specifically Designed to Suppress the People]
At the Third Plenum, in order to defend Xi Jinping, the army has been fully armed to deal with petitioners. In the early morning of July 16, more than 1,000 military vehicles drove through Wenzhou. I was seen by the public and reported to me, and I hope to provide information for all netizens.

The Chinese army has gone beyond Hitler’s SS, and now it has become Xi’s army.

China is the only country in the world that uses the military to suppress its own people.

Darth Dawg Jar : [Thousands of military vehicles: appeared in Wenzhou and headed south] [Weird weapons: specially used to suppress the people] The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee: In order to protect Xi Jinping 👀

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No Evidence Over 1,000 Military Vehicles Sent To Protect Xi Jinping!

This appears to be yet another example of fake news circulating on social media, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Claim Was Based On Unverified Third Party Report

Let me start by pointing out that this claim appears to be based on a single, unverified report by a third party to citizen journalist Zhao Lanjian (archive).

Apparently, he received a message from someone reporting that his friend claimed to have seen more than a thousand vehicles crossing the Oujiang River in Wenzhou:

惊天！我朋友说今凌晨温州瓯江边开过一千多辆军车大致往南边开

Shocking! My friend said that more than a thousand military vehicles drove past the Oujiang River in Wenzhou early this morning, heading roughly south.

…我问了军分区朋友，他是说为了三中全会的调度，估计是维稳。

… I asked a friend in the military sub-district, and he said it was for the the Third Plenary Session [of the 20th CPC Central Committee], probably to maintain stability.

As you can tell – the person reporting did not actually see those military vehicles. He was only telling Zhao that his friend saw many military vehicles crossing the Oujiang River.

In addition – there has been no corroboration of what was reported. No one else reported these PLA military vehicles, or what they were actually doing.

Fact #2 : Vehicle Does Not Belong To PLA

Zhao Lanjian shared a photo of a futuristic-looking vehicle with his post, appearing to suggest that it was one of the military vehicles crossing the Oujiang River, and headed south.

However, that photo was taken on 27 October 2022 – almost two years ago, and that particular vehicle was located over 2,700 kilometres away in the Qinghai province! It is also not a PLA military vehicle.

That is the Sanneng 8×8 riot control vehicle, whose design was “inspired” by the RT-01 Transport – a fictional vehicle from the 2012 movie Prometheus. This particular vehicle belongs to the Wulan County Public Security Bureau in the Qinghai province.

A similar Sanneng 8×8 riot control vehicle was also donated by the city of Huzhou in Zhejiang to the public security department of Ulan County, also in the Qinghai province.

It is said to be an electric vehicle (EV), with electric motors powering the rear axles, and is protected by bulletproof body panels. It has a camera on the roof, and can carry up to 8 fully-armed SWAT officers (source, source).

It is unknown how many Sanneng 8×8 riot control vehicles exist in China. Regardless of how many of these vehicles actually exist in China, what is certain is that they are owned and operated by Chinese police forces, and not the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Fact #3 : Vehicle Photo Is Old

Interestingly, the message screenshot appear to show that the person who reported the vehicles to Zhao Lanjian did not actually take any photo of the convoy of over 1,000 military vehicles:

Zhao : There are no pictures (没有任何图吧)

Unknown : Correct. None. (对• 没有)

Instead, the person apparently provided that photo of the Sanneng 8×8 vehicle which he claimed he took during Speaker Nancy Pelosi’ visit to Taiwan, when he allegedly saw about 200-300 of such vehicles.

However, I should point out that Speaker Pelosi visited Taiwan on 2 August 2022, but that particular photo appears to have been taken sometime in May 2023 (source, source) – about 9 months later. Even the earliest official showcase of this vehicle happened in November 2022 (source) – 3 months after Nancy Pelosi’s visit.

The photo also shows a solitary Sanneng 8×8 vehicle, and not a convoy of 200-300 of these vehicles.

Fact #4 : Xi Jinping Did Not Suffer A Stroke

Falun Gong practitioner and writer Jennifer Zeng appears to believe that the PLA military movement might be related to the “rumor that Xi Jinping just had a stroke at the CCP’s Third Plenary Session“.

Well, that rumour proved to be false after the Chinese Communist Party concluded its Third Plenary Session, and issued an official communique which called for the whole CCP, the Chinese military, and the Chinese people to “stay closely rallied around the Party… with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core”.

Obviously, that can only happen if Xi Jinping isn’t incapacitated or dead from a stroke.

Fact #5 : No Reports Of Military Vehicles Clogging Beijing

Even a hundred military vehicles would have been quite a sight in Beijing, never mind over a thousand of them. All those vehicles would also have caused massive traffic jams in Beijing.

Yet, there have been no media or social media reports about large numbers of military vehicles in Beijing.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

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Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did African Migrants Just Destroy Historic Alcazar Library?!

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Did African migrants just riot and destroy the historical Alcazar Library in Marseille, France?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : African Migrants Just Destroyed Alcazar Library!

People are sharing a video of the historical Alcazar Library burning, after being allegedly destroyed by African migrants who were rioting in France.

Stew Peters : The Alcazar Library in Marseille is the largest library in France, containing an archive of one million historically significant documents.

African migrants just TORCHED it.

Christian Pilgrim : WATCH: Rioters have burned down the largest library in France.

The Alcazar library in Marseille included an archive of one million historically significant archives.

VVC Watch : The Alcazar Library in Marseille is the largest in France, containing an archive of one million historically significant documents. African migrants just TORCHED it. #vvcwatch

Some also claim that the video shows the National Library in Paris on fire, not the Alcazar library.

Truth : African Migrants Did Not Destroy Alcazar Library!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms like Twitter, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : People Were Rioting Over Nahel Merzouk

First, I should quickly point out that the June 2023 riots in France had nothing to do with migrants in France, whether they are African or otherwise.

People in France were not rioting over migrant rights, but rather, the death of Nahel Merzouk – a 17 year-old French youth of Moroccan and Algerian descent, who was shot and killed by the police in Nanterre on 27 June 2023.

That morning, two Paris Police Prefecture motorcycle police officers saw Nahel Merzouk driving a Mercedes-Benz A Class AMG with a Polish licence plate at high speed in a bus lane.

They tried to flag it down, but Nahel continued to flee, committing several traffic offences in the process. But he was eventually forced to stop due to traffic congestion.

That was when the two police officers got off their motorcycles and ordered him to turn off the engine. When Nahel started to pull away again, one of the police officers fire a shot at him because he claim Nahel was about to run him over. The car continued for a distance before crashing into street furniture.

However, a 50-second video was later released, showing that neither police officers were in danger of being run over by Nahel. A passenger in Nahel’s vehicle also testified that the police officer hit Merzouk with the butt of his gun several times, and the third buttstroke made Nahel release the brake pedal, causing the car to move forward as it was an automatic car.

Those revelations caused a great public outcry and outrage, that quickly turned into protests and riots in many parts of France.

Fact #2 : Rioters Attempted To Set Alcazar Library On Fire

On the night of Thursday, June 29, 2023, rioters attempted to set the Alcazar library in Marseille on fire. They broke some of its windows, and tried to set its entrance on fire.

However, the rioters did not succeed in entering the Alcazar library, or set it on fire. Its entrance was only lightly torched. It was boarded up the next day.

There is also no evidence that the rioters who tried to set the Alcazar library on fire were migrants, or Africans.

Fact #3 : Viral Video Is Of Manila Central Post Office Fire

The video that went viral on social media does not show the Alcazar Library on fire. Rather, the video showed the Manila Central Post Office (MCPO) which caught fire on Sunday, May 21, 2023.

The fire started in its basement at 11:41 PM that night, but firefighters had trouble controlling it. It was finally controlled at 7:22 AM on May 22, and finally put out at 6:33 AM the next day, on May 23, 2023.

18 persons were wounded in the incident – 16 firefighters, a fire volunteer, and a civilian. 300 million pesos worth of assets, including national identification cards were destroyed or damaged.

Even worse was the loss of the heritage building. The Manila Central Post Office was a 97 year-old building which was a “classic example of Western architecture that existed between two world wars“.

Fact #4 : French National Library Not On Fire Either

Claims that the video shows the French National Library in Paris on fire are also false.

Elodie Vincent, a spokesperson for Bibliothèque nationale de France, confirmed in an email that the French National Library was unharmed during the Nahel protests and riots.

I should also point out that the French National Library is the largest library in France, not the Alcazar Library.

Fact #5 : This Is Just Another Fake Video

This is just another example of fake videos misappropriated to create controversies. Here are some other recent examples you may have seen recently:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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