Picture of men with knives is unrelated to recent riots

A picture showing a group of men with knives with claims it was taken recently in Stoke is actually a still from a video that circulated a month before disorder in the UK began of men celebrating a Yemeni wedding with ceremonial daggers.

One post from 4 August is captioned: “How lovely! Yesterday, in Stoke, a mostly peaceful class in dinner etiquette and the correct use of cutlery took place, the enthusiasm really was infectious, look at their little faces!”

The image highlights “knives and swords” in the picture, asking “are these the far right, then?” 

The captions appear to be referencing violent disorder that has broken out in the past week in the wake of a stabbing attack which killed three children and wounded others in Southport on 29 July. 

Demonstrators, some reportedly involved with or mobilised by far-right groups, have clashed with police officers and counter-protesters in numerous locations, including Stoke. 

But the image in the post is actually a still from a video shared in early July, before the Southport stabbings.

A fact check by Reuters showed the video was filmed in Birmingham, outside an events venue. The venue told Reuters that the men in the video were guests at a Yemeni wedding that took place there on 29 June 2024. The short knives some are holding are jambiyas, which are ceremonial daggers. They are often seen at Yemeni weddings. 

During breaking news events it’s essential to consider whether what you see online is accurate, so you can avoid sharing misleading information. We’ve written several fact checks about Southport and the riots, including about a false claim that two protesters had been “stabbed by Muslims in Stoke” and about an incorrect name of the Southport stabbing attack suspect that was circulating online. 

We have written a number of relevant guides that should help you to spot misleading images and videos, and created a toolkit to help identify other types of misinformation.