Sadiq Khan target of racist attacks amid false media reports

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Sadiq Khan has been the target of racist attacks after The Telegraph incorrectly reported that Khan was planning to rule out a new statue of the Queen, sources reported on Sunday.

The irony in that is that the incident happened just days after Khan warned that some media outlets were making profits out of hatred. 

“No room for Queen Elizabeth II statue on Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth, rules Sadiq Khan." This was the headline under which The Telegraph issued the false report.

Several sculptures and artworks can be found at the square, the latest of which is a statue of John Chilembwe, a Baptist pastor who died during a revolt against the British in what is now Malawi in 1915.

What led some newspapers to believe that a statue of the late Queen could not be placed there was that the program for the empty plinth has been set out for the next four years under Khan's office.

However, in a statement issued by the Greater London Authority, which covers the mayoralty and the city’s devolved government, said the location of a statue was a decision for King Charles III and the Royal Family.

It added, “A statue of the Queen at a suitable location in London is a matter for the royal family to consider, and of course the Greater London Authority stands ready to support them in their wishes.”

Khan’s office later issued a statement in which he expressed he was happy to support the royals in heir wishes to use "the fourth plinth if that is the royal family’s preference."

So far, no indications show that the royals have asked to use the plinth.

Even though the Telegraph's story was later amended, the false rumor rapidly spread to other mainstream outlets and became a hot topic on social media.

Social media outlets accused Khan of not being patriotic and used heavy racist slurs while comparing what they saw as his decision over the Queen with the presence on the fourth plinth of artwork by a Malawian sculptor, Samson Kambalu.

Last week, Khan spoke a the Labour conference about racial hatred and said analysis showed that 230,000 racist tweets had been posted about him since he took the role in 2016.

Most of the hatred was fueled by inaccurate reports in social media and the press, who despite having demonized him, made considerable profits over the fake news, Khan noted.

“What we’ve realised now is that when you use my name, it’s good clickbait for traffic,” he said. “It’s a trickle-down tone being set by the mainstream media. It’s good for business … Hate has been monetised.”

According to Dawn Butler MP, the Labour MP for Brent Central in north London, the press had “a responsibility to ensure their output, including headlines, is fair and accurate."

She said, “It’s no secret that using Sadiq’s name online guarantees clicks and generates income. That’s particularly true if there’s a way the headline can be used to suggest Sadiq is not truly British – as it gets picked up and widely shared by the far right and racist trolls online."

“Inaccurate headlines of the kind we’ve seen this week are designed to be inflammatory and go viral – to be shared, not read – and it is clear they were shared widely," she added.

Last week, Khan accused his Conservative adversary during the 2016 mayoral election, Zac Goldsmith, of having “mainstreamed and normalised prejudices” with a campaign widely criticized for being racist in the way it highlighted Khan’s Muslim background.