Image of police officers kneeling in front of Muslim men is AI-generated

An AI-generated image which appears to show UK police officers kneeling in front of a group of men in Islamic dress has been circulating again online.

The picture has been shared on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, with a caption saying: “Does this sicken you? Yes or No?”

The image appears to show nine police officers kneeling or praying in front of a number of men wearing Islamic dress.

The picture previously circulated online in the aftermath of widespread violent disorder across England and Northern Ireland following the fatal stabbing of three children in Southport in July 2024. 

We previously fact checked the same image in August 2024. And, as we found then, there are many indications that, while it seems realistic at first glance, this is not a genuine image but has in fact been generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

These include that the police officer in the front-right of the image appears to have an extremely long left foot and unusual body proportions.

The police officer in the front-left of the image’s left leg is also bent in a strange position and appears to be disconnected from his torso. 

A man wearing religious dress standing on the far right of the group and a police officer standing on the far left of the group both have their hands clasped in front of them, but there are errors with their fingers—a tell-tale sign that the image may be AI-generated.

The image has also been debunked by a number of other fact checking organisations. 

Before sharing content that you see on social media, take a second to consider whether AI could have been used in its creation. Our recent blog on spotting AI-generated images and videos highlighted clues to look out for.