Hundreds of people are sharing an online news story about an immigration raid at Walkers’ factory to bash Gary Lineker for his stance on child refugees.
Only problem is, it’s a fake - and a bad one at that.
It all started when one user posted a doctored article from the Coventry Telegraph claiming 50 migrants had been detained when police raided the crisp manufacturer’s factory.
The article says that many of those held are “believed to be from the Calais Jungle in France”.
It also includes a fictitious quote from Lineker, which reads:
“In light of this setback I am working on a way of getting more from the Calais Jungle, but ideally I’m looking for adult posing as children who can enter legally and Walkers can pay them lower hourly rates as children, to increase profit margins and my commissions.”
Hundreds of people actually believed the article was genuine, and used it to bash footballing legend Lineker for his stance on child refugees.
What they failed to realise was the article was fake.
It was based on a real news story, but one that was published in 2005, not 14 October 2016 - as the doctored piece claimed.
There was also no mention in the original piece of any suspicion the migrants found in Walkers’ factory had lived in the Calais ‘Jungle’.
On top of that, the quotes attributed to Lineker and a Walkers spokesman were made-up, and not included in the original piece.
Many are looking for any excuse to bash Lineker after he admonished those calling for dental checks on the child refugees accepted into Britain.