Snopes didn't depend on only CNN's words - they included the organizers and BBC and it was covered by other news outlets. Did anyone bother to read that?
A CNN source told us:
We were in the middle of a live show when they appeared, and they moved in front of us so we could see their signs — for people to suggest that the protest was staged by the media is ludicrous.
That the demonstration was real, not staged, is clear from additional press coverage of the event. According to the BBC, the gathering was organized by the London Fatwa Council, who confirmed that their chairman, Shaykh Mohammad Yazdani, was present at the vigil to pay respects to the victims.
He also issued the public
statement excerpted below:
I was shocked to my core when I learnt of the devastating attacks in London, as I left the mosque last night. Whilst myself and the majority of the Muslim community were busy in night time prayers, a horrible act of terror was being played out outside. I am deeply, deeply aggrieved that such heinous violence and terror again be upon our streets.
In the sacred month of Ramadhan when Muslims are engrossed in the remembrance of God and in togetherness with their families and communities, I cannot accept that the perpetrators of this terror are observers of my faith. Acts of terror are always deplorable but more so during the sacred month of Ramadhan.
Coverage by the
Telegraph and the
Standard included photos and video of participants placing flowers at the site:
In short, the vigil was not a media invention. It was organized by the London Fatwa Council, a legitimate Islamic
organization whose members have taken a vocal stand against terrorist attacks. Vigil participants were photographed, at their request, by international press organizations, including CNN. The charge that CNN or anyone else “staged” the event to “hype a narrative of widespread Muslim opposition” to the attacks is a politically motivated mischaracterization of what occurred.
