GB News Host And Conservative Politician Fall For Bogus BBC Twitter Account Posting About Israel-Gaza

GB News host Arlene Foster and Conservative MP Chris Clarkson pounced to criticise the BBC Sunday, sharing a Twitter post by a disinformation troll that made fun of “cowardly Israeli citizens fleeing the country” believing the owner to be a BBC journalist.

The tweet, which includes a video with laughing emojis, shows long queues of Israeli citizens and tourists in a scramble for flights out of the country at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.

The account, which has since been suspended, falsely claimed to be run by a BBC reporter in the region called Verona Mark.

In a retweet Foster asked: “How can this person work for the BBC?”

In the midst of the controversy, Clarkson presented the tweet as evidence to bolster his ongoing criticism of the BBC’s coverage.

BBC Verify journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh, however, who has been tracking disinformation about the conflict, confirmed that the account is fake: “BBC News does not employ a reporter called Verona Mark.”

Before being suspended, the account added a context annotation to tell users that the owner’s claim to be a BBC reporter was “misleading.”

Following the correction, Foster issued a retraction stating that she had received an answer to her question and her relief.

Clarkson also issued a further statement to clarify his new understanding of the account as a fake but repeated that he stood by his stance of the BBC.

“It’s been brought to my attention that below is not a BBC journalist, rather a fake account. My comments on the BBC stand – equivocation and whataboutary [sic] are a disgrace.”

Numerous global airlines have temporarily halted or scaled back their flight operations to and from Tel Aviv following strikes by Hamas militants on Israel and targetting the airport, citing the need for enhanced safety conditions.