Photo of Suella Braverman looking at model Auschwitz is digitally altered

An altered picture of home secretary Suella Braverman standing in front of a model replica of the Nazi Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp has been shared more than a thousand times on Twitter. 

The image has also been shared widely on Facebook. While it may have originally been intended as satire, following the announcement of the Illegal Migration Bill and Ms Braverman’s subsequent visit to Rwanda, comments on some posts indicate that some social media users were unsure whether the picture was genuine. 

The caption of one tweet reads: “I don't want to upset anyone or cause a Lineker style commotion but isn't the model of Braveman's dream Rwandan refugee camp rather reminiscent of a certain 1930's Germany style architecture?”

The image is actually a composite of two photographs. The image of Ms Braverman is taken from a set of photos published on her official Twitter account, which were shared with the caption: “I visited Bwiza Riverside Estate today to see new homes that will be available to accommodate those relocated from the UK as well as Rwandans.” 

The original image does show Ms Braverman looking at a model replica of the “new homes”, though this is much smaller than the model of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in the altered picture and does not otherwise resemble it. 

The image of the model concentration camp is taken from a 2016 article written by a teenage boy from the United States, in which he describes building it in tribute to his great-grandfather. 

False or misleading claims about politicians have the potential to affect people’s opinions of individuals, parties or how they choose to vote. We often see these types of claims spread widely online, for example, we have previously fact checked widespread claims that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was responsible for the decision not to prosecute Jimmy Saville.