Full Fact, the UK's independent fact-checking charity, has examined two widely circulated claims from recent events: a viral video purportedly showing the Green Party celebrating an election victory, and exaggerated attendance figures for the Unite the Kingdom march in London.
The video, posted by Green Party Newham mayoral candidate Areeq Chowdhury in Bengali on April 20, was a campaign appeal, not a victory celebration. The footage gained traction after being aired on television during early election results coverage on May 8. Mr Chowdhury, who did not win the mayoral election and has since retired as a councillor, clarified on X that it was a campaign video recorded in multiple languages including Bengali, Urdu and Romanian, and that most of his campaign videos were in English. The claims that the Greens were celebrating an election win are false.
Regarding the Unite the Kingdom march on May 11, social media posts claimed attendances of over two million or nearly two million. However, Metropolitan Police estimates put the figure at around 60,000 people. Crowd dynamics expert Professor Milad Haghani of the University of Melbourne told Full Fact that millions was 'completely fanciful' and 'a product of imagination and gross exaggeration'. The police also estimated between 15,000 and 20,000 attended a concurrent pro-Palestinian Nakba protest. The exaggerated numbers are not supported by evidence.
