Fact check: Video shows prison incident that is unrelated to recent riots

A graphic video has been shared online by people claiming it shows a person who participated in rioting following the Southport murders being attacked in Manchester Prison – previously known as Strangeways.

One post, which at the time of writing had been liked more than 20,000 times on social media site X, formerly Twitter, reads: “Apparently, one of the recently imprisoned rioters has been severely slashed up in Strange Ways prison.”

Evaluation

The Ministry of Justice told the PA news agency the prisoners involved in the filmed incident had not participated in the riots.

The facts

The videos shared are grainy, and some are cut to a shorter length. The longest and most high-quality version of the footage which the PA news agency could identify online was 50 seconds long.

It shows what appears to be the aftermath of an incident in a prison. What seems to be an alarm can be heard over shouts on the audio, while several people who appear to be prison guards are seen moving around. There also appears to be a pool of blood on the floor.

It is difficult to tell from the video what exactly is going on, and what had happened before the footage began.

In response to an inquiry from PA, the Ministry of Justice said it was unable to confirm the name of the prison or the date of the incident, due to security reasons. However, it did confirm that the prisoners involved were not linked to the disorder sparked in several cities by the fatal stabbings of three children in Southport on July 29.

In a statement, the ministry said: “We do not tolerate violence in our prisons and anyone found guilty of wrongdoing will be punished. This incident has been referred to the police and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

“It is inaccurate to suggest that the prisoners involved in this had taken part in the recent disorder.”