Video of carpark argument is staged

A video showing a staged argument between two people in a carpark is being shared on social media as if it’s a genuine scene. 

The minute-long clip shows an escalation over a car parking space between a woman wearing religious dress, and a man, seemingly with an American accent, who can be heard from out of the shot and appears to be filming. 

A screenshot of a post sharing the video on X (formerly Twitter), which has almost 4,000 shares, has the caption: “Crazy is as crazy does Yes, take that [shopping trolley] back to where it belongs”. One person commented on the clip saying ”race card again”, while another said: “they can do what they want”. 

But this is not a genuine argument. 

The video was originally shared in April 2023 by a YouTube channel called Call me Ham, which features staged pranks and parody sketches. A TikTok account with the same name says in its bio “HAM - Hilarious & Mediocre” and links to an Instagram account which is described as a “video creator”. 

Hamad Kahn, who reportedly runs the accounts, told Reuters he filmed the sketch video and used an accent to play the off-camera man’s voice. He reportedly said the video was “not at all” intended to satirise Muslim women, adding: “I am Muslim myself. It was playing on the Arab culture.”

Full Fact contacted Mr Kahn for comment and will update the article if we receive a response. 

This is not the first time Full Fact has seen staged content being shared as if it’s genuine, including a video supposedly showing hunters being attacked by a lion, as well as staged CCTV footage showing a woman’s drink being spiked and a baby being separated from its mother on a metro platform. 

It’s important to consider whether a video on social media shows what it claims to be before sharing it. Our guide to identifying misleading videos may help you to do so.