Nurseries put into lockdown after lies spread on social media about stabbing

A number of nurseries in Wigan went into lockdown this morning after a false report on social media reported there had been a stabbing.

A number of nurseries in the Pemberton area of Wigan sent alerts out to parents to warn them of an alleged stabbing on Enfield Street.

An alert from one of the nurseries read: ‘There have been posts on social media this morning regarding an incident on Enfield Street. As a result of the alarming reports we have made the decision to put the nursery into a full lockdown. All our children are safe and being well cared for by our fabulous staff.’

Emergency Services were called to Ormskirk Road in Pemberton at around 7am. Greater Manchester Police later confirmed the incident was a two car crash, and was damage only, with no injuries reported.

However, a larger than normal emergency response was sent to the scene as an iPhone detected a crash and sent an alert to emergency services.

Following the large response a false report began to circulate on social media alleging the police response was due to a stabbing and that an offender was at large.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed the stabbing was a false report, and Enfield Street has since re-opened.

This week false information spread online regarding the suspect in the mass stabbings in Southport culminated in riots across the country, including on Luke’s Road in Southport.

Both the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, and the Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, Serena Kennedy, have spoken this week about the dangers of misinformation.

When Ms Cooper visited Southport the day after the mass stabbing, she urged the public to avoid ‘unhelpful’ speculation and added social media companies ‘need to take some responsibility.’

Speaking on Wednesday, the day after hundreds of people attended a violent protest in the area, Kennedy told the Liverpool Echo: ‘People have attended after the vigil for the purpose of mindless violence, thuggery and hooliganism and they do not represent Southport, they do not represent Merseyside. There is a lot of misinformation and speculation out there.’

Merseyside Police said 54 officers were injured in the riots which saw bricks broken off house walls and thrown at officers. A police vehicle was also set alight.

The force said five people have been arrested in connection with the riots.

Adam Hadley, executive director of Tech Against Terrorism, said: ‘For some time, many of us have been concerned about the prospect of hostile nation states actors deploying disinformation tactics to drive domestic extremism. While we have yet to attribute the source of the online rumours, we do know that this feverish online speculation had real-world implications, galvanising extremist protests in Southport.

‘The fact that a state-backed broadcaster chose to amplify a fake news outlet reporting on Southport reflects at best a woeful lack of journalistic integrity or at worst a cynical ploy to foment extremist riots through disinformation.’

Mr Hadley called for a concerted effort for social media platforms to identify and act against coordinated disinformation operations.

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