Counter terror police are investigating a fake video of Sadiq Khan in which the London mayor appears to suggest Remembrance weekend commemorations be delayed while pro-Palestinian marches go ahead.
The video, which has been shared by far-right accounts on TikTok and X, formerly Twitter, sees a photo of Mr Khan overlaid by what appears to be his voice saying: “What is happening in Gaza is much bigger than this weekend and it is current.”
The AI-generated video has been viewed on X more than 100,000 times and is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police’s counter terror experts.
It comes amid a furious row over whether the march should go ahead on Saturday, with Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman calling for it to be postponed because it falls on Armistice Day.
The political career of the home secretary, who has previously described the demonstrations as “hate marches”, is on the line after she penned an incendiary article in The Times attacking the Metropolitan Police as biased in favour of the pro-Palestine march.
On Friday Mr Khan issued a warning to those planning to “stoke disorder” at Saturday’s pro-Palestine march, saying “action will be taken”.
The mayor of London said this weekend’s Remembrance commemorations are a “hugely important part of our national calendar” and it is “vital they go ahead unaffected”.
And while stressing that the right to protest is “a cornerstone of our democracy” Mr Khan said “it must always be peaceful and lawful”.
“The police will move against anyone found breaking the law, including taking strong action against anyone committing hate crime,” he posted on X.
He added: “This weekend more than ever we must stand united against hatred and division.”
In the latest faked video circulating online, Mr Khan appears to say: “The prime minister meeting with [Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley] yesterday is a complete waste of time. The buck stops with me. Mark reports to me.
“I know we have Armistice Day on Saturday. But why should Londoners cancel the Palestinian march on Saturday? Why don’t they have Remembrance weekend next weekend?
“What’s happening in Gaza is much bigger than this weekend and it’s current.”
A spokesperson for the mayor confirmed police were looking into it.
“The Met and their counter terror experts are aware of this fake video that is being circulated and amplified on social media by far-right groups, and are actively investigating,” they said.
It comes just a month after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was the victim of an AI-generated so-called deepfake video and will heighten fears about the potential impact of the technology on democracy.
Sir Keir was targeted with a video in which he appeared to abuse party staffers, but the video was later proven to be sham.
The fake recording of Mr Khan was being widely shared on Friday, the day before a major pro-Palestinian march is set to take place in London.
Critics of the rally have called for it to be cancelled because it falls on Armistice Day but supporters, including the Royal British Legion, have backed the right to protest.
The organisers of the demonstration have stressed that it is one of a series of marches that have taken place weekly on Saturdays since Israel launched its assault on Gaza in response to Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attacks.
And they have stressed that it will not disrupt the 11am silence or go anywhere near the Cenotaph.
Mr Sunak previously backed a crackdown on what he condemned as “provocative and disrespectful” demonstration before conceding that there was no lawful reason for it be be banned.
