Claim: A mob of masked migrants attacked a hospital in Birmingham, UK, armed with axes and blades.
Fact: This image was AI-generated, and West Midlands Police in Birmingham confirmed there were no attacks in the area.
On 17 February 2025, a user on X (Twitter) posted an image (archive) of men wielding axes, breaking into what appears to be a hospital. The post is captioned,
“BREAKING: BIRMINGHAM HOSPITAL UNDER SIEGE—MIGRANT MOB STORMS A&E WITH AXES AND BLADES!
A hospital—one of the last places of sanctuary—was turned into a warzone. A violent migrant mob stormed a Birmingham A&E armed with AXES and BLADES.
Nurses and patients trapped in fear. Staff were forced to barricade themselves in as chaos erupted, a direct result of a government that has lost control of the streets.
And where is the outrage? If this had been the “far right,” the media would be running wall-to-wall coverage. Instead, silence. The story has been buried, ignored, erased.
THE UK IS ON LIFE SUPPORT—WHO WILL SAVE IT?
WHAT THIS MEANS:
Britain’s hospitals are no longer safe. The NHS is already stretched to breaking point—now staff fear for their lives.
Lawlessness is spreading like wildfire. The government refuses to act, while criminals walk free, and those who speak out are demonized.
This isn’t just a one-off incident. This is the new reality of a nation in decline.
HOW MUCH MORE CAN THE UK TAKE BEFORE IT COLLAPSES COMPLETELY?
IT’S TIME FOR A NEW GOVERNMENT—BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE. ”
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check conducted a reverse image search of the viral picture and found an X post by user Matt Capon. In this post, the user shared the same image, however, it was zoomed out and showed the full context of the scene. In the post, the user also claimed the image was likely AI-generated.
Soch Fact Check observed the image for any indication that it was AI-generated and found many tell-tale signs. First, many hands in the image looked distorted with extra fingers. This failure to create normal-looking appendages, especially hands, is a well-documented failure of AIs. Additionally, at least three men in the center have distorted and blurred eyes. AI also struggles to create pupils and eyes that look realistic, as noted by Kellogg Insights by NorthWestern University in a report, “ In AI-generated images… eyes may be overly shiny, blurry, or hollow-looking.”
Soch Fact Check also put the image through AI image-detectors, Was it AI and Sight Engine, both of which noted the image was likely created using AI. Search Engine was ranked as one of the most accurate AI detection tools by the University of Rochester and the University of Kansas, in a study that used the tool to inspect over 80,000 images.
Importantly, the West Midlands Police, who operate in Birmingham, also issued a statement on X debunking the claim. In the statement, they report that “Following enquiries, we know that no disorder took place at any hospital in Birmingham. We have confirmed this with officers who were in attendance, ambulance officials, and hospital staff who were on duty at the time.” Additionally, it said: “Any claims of ambulances being raided or looted are untrue, while images being shared on social media which claim to show people carrying weapons at a hospital are fake.”
According to a report by the UK news outlet LBC, the University Hospitals Birmingham also confirmed they experienced no violence stating: “We have been working closely with colleagues from West Midlands Police, since Saturday, regarding allegations of disorder at our hospital”, adding that “the images and accompanying information being shared on social media – depicting violence, weapons and allegations of an ambulance being raided – are false.”
While users rightfully disputed the claim that it was migrant mobs attacking a hospital, many accounts claimed it was actually a still from the 2012 Christopher Nolan film “The Dark Knight Rises”. However, this seems unlikely given its AI origins. It could be that the image generator used data from the film, but this cannot be confirmed.
This claim was fact-checked by multiple outlets, including Full-Fact, an independent UK-based fact-checking outlet, and Yahoo!News. Full-Fact confirmed the image was likely generated by Google’s AI after reaching out to a Google spokesperson. The outlet reported, “ A Google spokesperson told Full Fact that a SynthID—a digital watermark embedded into content made with Google AI products that is not visible to the human eye—was detected on the image.”
Virality
The owner of X, Elon Musk also reshared (archive) this claim. Musk often shares misinformation, particularly posts that target minority and immigrant communities.
Soch Fact Check also found the viral claim on X here, here, and here.
Conclusion: A viral image showing a crowd of men violently breaking into a hospital in Birmingham is AI-generated and has no basis in real events.
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com