Metropolitan police said the deepfake audio of Sadiq Khan ‘dismissing Remembrance Day commemorations’ is ‘not a crime’.
A clip posted on TikTok, believed to have been created with artificial intelligence, used simulated audio to mimic Mr Khan saying: ‘I don’t give a flying s*** about the Remembrance weekend.’
Later, a second clip was circulated on the social media platform that simulated the Mayor stating his authority over the Met Police before suggesting that the Armistice Day commemorations be postponed.
It comes on the day that tens of thousands was seen marching through the streets carrying banners which read ‘free Palestine’, as some protesters let off flares in the capital city.
The fake audio added: ‘I know we have Armistice Day on Saturday, but why should Londoners cancel the Palestinian march on Saturday?
Metropolitan police said the deepfake audio of Sadiq Khan ‘dismissing Remembrance Day commemorations’ is ‘not a crime’
The clip has Mr Khan saying: ‘I don’t give a flying s*** about the Remembrance weekend’
‘Why don’t they have Remembrance weekend next weekend? What’s happening in Gaza is much bigger than this weekend and it’s current.’
A Met Police spokesman confirmed that the force had looked into the fake footage but would be taking no further action.
He said: ‘We can confirm that we were made aware of a video featuring artificial audio of the Mayor.
‘Specialist officers have reviewed this video and assessed that it does not constitute a criminal offence.
‘Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing continue to review online content and material that is referred to us by members of the public.
‘We will investigate and take enforcement actions where criminal offences are identified.’
Mr Khan later took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to confirm the recording was fake and encouraged Londoners to ‘stand together’.
The Mayor posted: ‘While I hosted an interfaith Remembrance event with our armed forces at City Hall, the far-right were sharing deepfake audio about me.
‘They may have new means, but their ends are the same – to divide our diverse communities.
It comes on the day that tens of thousands could be seen marching through the streets carrying banners which read ‘free Palestine’, as some protesters let off flares in the capital city
View of the Pro Palestine March from bar at the top of the Hilton Park Lane
The march, which coincides with Armistice Day, will head towards the US embassy in Vauxhall, south of the Thames
Tens of thousands of people have turned up on the streets of London on Saturday
Some of those attending the march held effigies of dead babies as they called for a ceasefire
‘We must stand together – it’s what London does best.’
Organisers of the pro-Palestinian protest in London said ‘more than 800,000’ marched to the US embassy today to demand that Israel stops bombing Gaza – as they asked crowds to disperse peacefully.
A woman using a speaker system from the stage at the end of the ‘march for Palestine’ said: ‘There are more than 800,000 of us here today and that number may be as high as one million. Making this the second largest march in British history.’
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: ‘They said we shouldn’t be marching on Remembrance weekend. Well, I simply say this: we march in memory of all those who died in all wars, in all conflicts.’
Chants of ‘free Palestine’ and ‘ceasefire now’ could be heard during the march. The Met, who put their numbers at 300,000, said those gathered had so far been peaceful, with no incidents reported.
This was in stark contrast to a march by thugs led by the far-right figure Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, which has seen repeated clashes with officers and missiles thrown at police.
Tens of thousands could be seen marching through the streets carrying banners which read ‘free Palestine’, as some protesters let off flares.
At Trafalgar Square, Extinction Rebellion placed hundreds of pairs of children’s shoes as they joined calls for an immediate ceasefire to protect citizens’ lives. Meanwhile, in Scotland, dozens of protesters participated in a ‘die-in’ in Glasgow.