Fact Check: A Pic Supposedly Shows People Fleeing London After Sadiq Khan Re-Elected Mayor of London Mayor. Here's the Reality

Claim:

A photo shared online in early May 2024 shows people fleeing London to escape sharia law after Sadiq Khan was re-elected as the city's mayor.

Rating:

On May 5, 2024, the X account @sh*tlondon posted a photo of gridlocked traffic on a British motorway and said it showed people fleeing London to escape sharia law after Labour politician Sadiq Khan won a third successive term as the city's mayor.

The caption read: "Incredible scenes as people flee London after Khan's victory. Families with whatever possessions they had time to pack. Desperate people hanging onto the back of lorries. Some abandon their cars to escape before sharia law is installed. Notice no cars heading INTO the city."

The post had amassed more than 1 million views at the time of this writing, while similar claims could also be seen on Facebook.

Some users replying to the photo appeared to believe the caption, while others seemingly missed the joke. Another asked: "Is this Real?"

However, the original post was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The X user who wrote it confirmed to Snopes it was not meant to be taken seriously.

When asked whether it was satire, @sh*tlondon responded: "Absolutely! I was just messing about."

The post was part of a longer, satirical thread.

The original photo belonged to Press Association, a British news agency, and was captured on Sept. 19, 2017. Its caption read: "The M1 after the police closed the motorway for more than six hours because of what appeared to be a black bin liner."

It was used in news articles in The Guardian and Mail Online, and a similar image appeared on stock photography agency Alamy's website that same day.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

Sources:

Gordon, Amie. 'M1 Drivers Stuck for 8 Hours Criticise Emergency Services'. Mail Online, 20 Sept. 2017, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/~/article-4901906/index.html.

'Https://Twitter.Com/Shitlondon/Status/1787159533460038004'. X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/shitlondon/status/1787159533460038004. Accessed 6 May 2024.

Limited, Alamy. The M1 after the Police Closed the Motorway for More than Six Hours Because of What Appeared to Be a Black Bin Liner Stock Photo - Alamy. https://www.alamy.com/stock-image-the-m1-after-the-police-closed-the-motorway-for-more-than-six-hours-160104752.html. Accessed 6 May 2024.

'PA Images'. Paimages.Co.Uk, https://www.paimages.co.uk/search-results/fluid/?urn=32902612. Accessed 6 May 2024.

Watt, Holly. 'M1 Motorway Closure: No Explosive Element Found in Suspicious Package'. The Guardian, 19 Sept. 2017. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/19/m1-motorway-closed-as-police-investigate-suspicious-package-milton-keynes.