Video of protestors chanting 'F*ck Keir Starmer' from 2023 Brianna Ghey vigil

By: Naledi Mashishi
May 29 2024

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Screenshot of an X post falsely claiming to show footage of protests outside the Labour Party HQ. (Source: X/Screenshot)

Context

On May 29, 2024, several outlets reported that Labour Party MP Diane Abbott had confirmed she had been blocked from standing as a candidate, despite having the whip restored following her suspension last year.

Later, she clarified that she was "delighted to have the Labour whip restored" but made no mention of whether she would be standing for election, either as an independent or as a Labour MP.

Social media response was swift, with one X (formerly known as Twitter) user posting a video of protesters gathered in Westminster, London, chanting "F*ck Keir Starmer." 

"Crowds gather outside the Labour Party HQ in London chanting 'f*ck Keir Starmer' after news emerged that long-standing MP Diane Abbott will be blocked from standing for the party at the forthcoming general election," the caption says. 

But the video isn't related to Abbott's situation, and it isn't new. The video is from a 2023 vigil held for murdered trans woman Brianna Ghey. 

What we found

We found that the video in the X post was originally posted on February 15, 2023. The account that posted it captioned the video, "Chants of 'F*ck Keir Starmer' are happening during a vigil for trans girl Brianna Ghey." In the video, the trans flag and a sign saying "trans rights now" are visible in the background, although the video quality is poor.

Screenshot taken from the video showing the trans flag (right) and sign saying 'trans rights now' (left) (Source: X)

On February 11, 2023, 16-year-old transgender schoolgirl Brianna Ghey was stabbed to death by two fellow teenagers. At least one of the murderers admitted to being motivated in part by hatred towards her transgender identity. 

Her murder sparked widespread outrage, and candlelight vigils were held across the U.K. in response. One of these vigils was held in Westminster outside the Labour Party's headquarters in response to Stamer's silence on the attack.

The murderers were convicted earlier this year and are serving life sentences of 22 years and 20 years, respectively. 

The verdict

A viral video posted on X claims to show protesters gathered outside of Labour Party headquarters in Westminster, London, chanting "f*ck Keir Stamer" in response to MP Abbott's announcement that she has been blocked for standing as a candidate in the upcoming elections. But this video is originally from a 2023 candlelight vigil held for murdered trans teen Brianna Ghey. Therefore, we have rated this claim as false.