Muslims Burning Christmas Tree in UK? Fact Check

Social media posts are circulating a video that falsely claims Muslims burned a Christmas tree in the United Kingdom. The video shows a large tree in a shopping center catching fire, with a text overlay alleging that "Islamic jihadists" committed the act. However, this claim is #FAKE.

The footage is authentic video taken out of context. It was recorded on December 25, 2024, in Chengdu, China, not the UK. The fire occurred at the Sanli Plaza shopping center and was caused by an electrical short circuit in the tree's wiring. Chinese fire officials confirmed the incident was accidental and ruled out any criminal intent. The video was likely used to stoke religious tensions by misrepresenting a routine accident as a targeted attack.

The controversy began when a post was published on X on a Thursday, specifically the 25th of the month. The post included a video and a caption that read: "🚨 Muçulmanos no Reino Unido queimaram árvores de Natal 🌲Será que merecem o mesmo tratamento no Eid?" which translates to "🚨 Muslims in the United Kingdom burned Christmas trees 🌲Do they deserve the same treatment on Eid?"

The video displays a large Christmas tree burning inside a shopping mall. A man is visible attempting to extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher. Superimposed over the video is a text box stating, "Jihadistas islâmicos queimaram árvore de Natal no Reino Unido" (Islamic jihadists burned a Christmas tree in the United Kingdom). This narrative is entirely fabricated. The imagery does not depict any event in the UK, nor does it involve the individuals described in the caption.

Investigation into the video's origin confirms that the footage is real but miscontextualized. The scenes were recorded on December 25, 2024, in the Chinese city of Chengdu. The specific location was the Sanli Plaza shopping center.

To verify the source, investigators utilized the InVID tool to fragment the video into static frames. A reverse image search using Google Lens on one of these frames revealed that the footage had been previously reported by reliable Chinese news outlets. These sources confirmed the footage showed a fire at a shopping mall in China, completely unrelated to the United Kingdom or the Islamic holiday Eid.

Initial reports regarding the fire in Chengdu suggested that a discarded cigarette butt might have been the cause. A report published on December 26, 2024, referenced these suspicions.

However, a definitive report released by the Regional Fire Brigade on December 28, 2024, clarified the actual cause. The official investigation determined that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit in the Christmas tree's wiring. This finding officially discards any possibility that the fire was a crime or an intentional act. The incident was strictly an electrical accident.

The claim that Muslims burned a Christmas tree in the United Kingdom is false. The video used to support this claim is authentic footage of an accidental electrical fire that took place in Chengdu, China, on Christmas Day 2024. By stripping the footage of its original context and adding a false caption, the post attempted to incite religious division. Official reports from Chinese fire authorities confirm the fire was an accident caused by a short circuit, not a criminal act.