The Video Does Not Show a Fire in a Birmingham Hindu Temple
The Claim
In a video, men can be seen fighting outside a Hindu temple in Birmingham, United Kingdom, while a fire is raging inside.
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Emerging story
Since September 19, 2022, a video purporting to show men fighting in front of a Hindu temple in Birmingham, as a massive fire erupted inside, has gone viral among social media users.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating video and found the claim to be misleading.
Misbar’s thorough investigation revealed that the burning building that appeared in the video on September 19, 2022, was a supermarket in Birmingham.
Statement by the Regional Police on the Incident
In a statement issued on September 19, 2022, the police department confirmed that they responded to a fire at Zeenat Supermarket on Alum Rock Road in Saltley.
The police department's official Twitter account responded to the same viral video by saying that the fire started accidentally when a trash fire spread to the building.
According to officials, the video shows a supermarket fire in Birmingham on September 19. It was caused by a trash fire spreading to the building.
In response to another question about the fight between the two groups, officials said: "We believe the fight was connected to an issue with the parking of some cars and that it was an isolated incident."
The Daily Mail’s Coverage
The incident was also covered by The Daily Mail.
According to the Daily Mail, the incident occurred on September 20, 2022, at the Zeenat Supermarket in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Twelve fire trucks and 79 firefighters fought the blaze at the store. They also stopped it from spreading to Thornton Primary School.
Residents were told to close their windows and doors, and many roads in the area were closed as dramatic drone footage showed the huge fire sending smoke hundreds of feet into the air.
The fire was put out after 12 hours, but it severely damaged the store and some apartments above it.
Hindu-Muslim Tensions Rise
The claim sparked after weeks of violence between Hindus and Muslims.
On September 19, members of Leicester's Hindu and Muslim communities gathered in front of the Jame Mosque to call for calm. Following several weeks of tension and violence involving Hindus and Muslims, they requested that "inciters of hatred leave [their] city alone."
Concurrently, geopolitical conflicts have emerged. Both the Pakistani and Indian embassies in the United Kingdom issued statements in response to recent events. While Pakistan referred to "Islamophobic incidents," India condemned "violence against the Indian community."
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