Experts dismantle Farage’s false swan-eating claims and explain why such myths spread
False: Royal Parks and experts say there is no evidence migrants are eating swans’. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage appeared on LBC this morning (Wednesday, September 24), and made the surprising claims.
The Dulwich College alumnus claimed that swans from the Royal Parks and carp from ponds across the country are being eaten by ‘people who come from countries where it’s quite acceptable’. He added that he ‘believes’ the alleged swans scoffers come from Eastern Europe.
It’s not the first set of bizarre claims by the ex-UKIP leader. Earlier this year, his target was Turkish barber shops, of which he suggested there were too many compared to the amount of male facial grooming that is necessary. In a post on X, he wrote: “I found a high street barbershop that isn’t Turkish!”. Speaking to the shop owner, he said ‘there’s literally thousands of them [Turkish barbers] isn’t there, sprung up all over the country’.
What did Nigel Farage say about swans?
The conversation arose during a phone-in about US President Donald Trump’s claim last year that Haitian immigrants in the US were eating cats and dogs, which Farage refused to accept as being unproven. Farage then managed to steer the conversation to swans and carp allegedly pinched from British ponds.
He said: “If I said to you that swans were being eaten in Royal Parks in this country, that carp were being taken out of ponds and eaten in this country by people who come from cultures that have a different… would you agree it happened, is happening here?”
He said it was “people who come from countries where it’s quite acceptable to do so” who are taking the carp and swans. Asked if it was Eastern Europeans, he said: “So I believe.”
Is Nigel Farage telling the truth?
The Royal Parks has rejected these claims as being categorically untrue. In fact, it has not had a single report of people killing or even eating swans across the capital’s eight Royal Parks. A Royal Parks spokesperson said: “We’ve not had any incidents reported to us of people killing or eating swans in London’s eight Royal Parks. Our wildlife officers work closely with the Swan Sanctuary to ensure the welfare of the swans across the parks.”
Professor Stephan Lewandowsky described the ‘false claim’ as ‘grotesque’. He said: “This is just the latest iteration of grotesque false claims about immigrants that have been around for centuries. It reflects the desire to demonise others so they appear to be lesser humans, and to evoke outrage among the gullible who fall for this racist and xenophobic blather.
“The origins of these claims can be traced back at least to the late 19th century when Chinese immigrants in California were baselessly accused of serving rat or dog meat in their restaurants. You could even argue that it is a derivative of the ancient anti-Semitic trope that Jews used human blood to bake matzos – but whatever the origin, whenever someone is accusing migrants of eating animals such as dogs, cats, or swans, one can safely conclude that they are a racist extremist who should play no role in our public life. Sadly those people have been given a lot of oxygen recently, to the detriment of democratic discourse.”
Why did Nigel Farage make the claims?
According to Professor Harith Alani of the Open University, Nigel Farage’s comments were ‘textbook disinformation’. He said: “Such lies spread far and fast for many reasons; (a) easy to grab people’s attention with shocking information – regardless of the truth, (b) many social media platforms stopped or heavily reduced checking the veracity of what gets published and shared over their platforms, (c) such platforms reward people for attracting attention no matter how, and regardless of whether what they write is true or false, and (d) people have no quick ways to check anything – this takes a bit of effort that most people these days don’t bother to do or don’t know how and where.
“I’d argue that this is textbook disinformation, since it is shared with a clear intent. The intent is to inject distrust, spread fear, divide society, confuse voters’ thinking, and rally certain groups behind him.”
Where did the claim originate?
Professor Alani clarified that the claim is over 20 years old, having first come out in 2003, then again in 2007. He said: “Most false claims have a short life. They come out, spread, get fact-checked, and die out when proved false. But some of a certain nature or style persist through all fact-checks and corrective efforts. Migrants eating swans, dogs, carp, etc, is one of those that reappear every now and then, normally when it suits the political landscape at the time. “
He continued: “We need to start preparing ourselves and our society for a lot more disinformation from Farage and the like. We need to start now. We need better ways to detect and expose such lies, to hold them accountable, to organise and launch information literacy campaigns, and to track old lies and predict the next ones.”
Is it illegal to kill swans?
It is illegal to kill swans under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. If you learn of anyone doing so, report it to the police on 101.
An RSPCA spokesperson said: “Speaking generally, wild birds, including swans, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take them except under licence.
“Anyone with first-hand information about specific animal welfare offences can share any evidence with us. There is more information on how to report on the RSPCA website.”
What other big claims has Nigel Farage made?
The Guardian fact-checked a few claims when Farage announced that he was running for parliament. One of those claims was that PM Keir Starmer ‘fought very, very hard for those that arrive on the back of lorries to get benefits once they got here’.
The Guardian slammed this assertion as being ‘misleading’. It is true that in 2003 the Labour leader represented five asylum seekers denied financial support, ultimately winning the case. But to suggest this applied to all asylum seekers is untrue.
Nigel Farage – who has made numerous comments about the Muslim community in his time – was also blasted last year after spreading disinformation about now-convicted Southport killer Axel Rudakubana. He claimed that “some reports suggest he was known to the security services,” information that ultimately fuelled last year’s riots across the UK. There was no evidence to suggest this was the case when the comments were made.
However, he defended his comments by insisting he was just trying to establish “the truth”. He said: “There were stories online from some very prominent folks with big followings – Andrew Tate etc – suggesting the man had crossed the English Channel in a boat in October 2023. Other suggestions that he was an active Muslim, and much of this led to the riots that we saw. I asked a very simple question – was this person known or not.”
The difference between misinformation and disinformation
Misinformation is false or inaccurate information that spreads without harmful intent. It’s often the result of mistakes, misunderstandings, or people sharing things they believe to be true. An example might be someone posting an outdated photo during a breaking news event, thinking it’s current.
Disinformation, on the other hand, is deliberately false information created and spread with the intention to deceive. It’s strategic, often designed to manipulate public opinion, sow confusion, or achieve political or financial gain. For instance, a fabricated news story made to discredit a rival would count as disinformation.
Looking for more from MyLondon? Subscribe to our daily newsletters here for the latest and greatest updates from across London.
