No, Apsana Begum did not say Gaza will become 'a pilgrimage for trans community'

By: Sam Doak
November 21 2023

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Screenshot of a post purportedly showing a post by British Labour MP Apsana Begum. (Source: X/Label added by Logically Facts)

Claim

In recent days, a screenshot has been circulating on X, purportedly showing an article written by British Labour MP Apsana Begum. The image, designed to resemble a screenshot from The Guardian's news app, displays a headline declaring, "Gaza will rise from the ashes to become a place of pilgrimage for the trans community. Free Palestine." The subheading claims, "MY LGBTOIA2S constituents dream of the day when Palestine becomes their adopted homeland." An archived version of this post can be accessed here.

Contrary to claims on social media, Logically Facts has determined that neither Begum nor The Guardian published such an article. 

In fact

Upon a brief examination of the image, it becomes apparent that it does not represent a genuine Guardian article. Notably, the header text reads "The Grauniad" instead of The Guardian. Further investigation by Logically Facts identified "The Grauniad" as a satirical account on X, known for posting mock Guardian articles.

While the fake headline mentioning Begum doesn't appear on The Grauniad's X page, it's plausible that it was removed after the initial posting. Regardless, generating such deceptive articles requires minimal technical expertise. To confirm the nonexistence of this article, Logically Facts conducted a thorough search of the text and checked archived versions of The Guardian's website, both of which affirmed that the article is fictitious.

Fake Guardian headlines have repeatedly gone viral in recent years. In September, a particularly crude example attributed to Shola Mos-Shogbamimu gained attention amid allegations involving Russel Brand, leading the writer to denounce it as a misuse of satire and parody.

The verdict

Apsana Begum did not write an article titled, “Gaza will rise from the ashes to become a place of pilgrimage for the trans community. Free Palestine.” This is a fabricated story likely intended to prompt ridicule. The Guardian never published such an article. This claim has, therefore, been marked as false.