Young people falsely accused of killing a woman in Burgos by far-right accounts: They have destroyed our lives
Two young men, aged 20 and 29, were falsely accused of murdering an 83-year-old woman in Burgos after misinformation spread through social media accounts associated with far-right groups. The false claims originated from pages linked to extreme-right movements such as 'Nucleo Nacional' and 'Revuelta,' which have large followings. These posts led to widespread sharing of the untrue information across platforms like WhatsApp and social media, causing significant distress to the accused individuals. One of them was at a hospital visiting a friend’s mother, while the other was asleep at home when the accusations surfaced. Despite being cleared of any involvement, the men have faced severe personal consequences due to the viral nature of the false narrative.
Two young men were falsely accused of murdering an 83-year-old woman in Burgos after far-right social media accounts shared misleading information linking them to the crime. The victims, Ahmed Benyahia, 20, and Youssef Abraoui, 29, were not involved in the incident but had their photos used in a viral misinformation campaign. National Police arrested two minors, aged 17 and 16, as suspects in the death of Rosario Sánchez, who was found dead and bound in her home in Burgos several days earlier. The false accusations began circulating online shortly after the arrests. A profile named Alex Martínez, later changed and deleted, posted images of two young men of North African origin, claiming they were the perpetrators. The post included calls for changing Spain’s penal code following recent elections and urged people to send the alleged criminals back to their country. However, the images did not belong to the arrested minors but instead showed Ahmed and Youssef, neither of whom knew each other. The account belonged to a pseudo-outlet called El Imperial, which admitted the following day that it had made an error in identifying the individuals. It claimed the person responsible had been expelled. Despite this, the misinformation continued to spread widely across the internet, amplified by far-right groups such as Núcleo Nacional and Revuelta, a former youth organization linked to Vox. Ahmed was visiting his friend's mother in a hospital in Barcelona when he learned of the accusation. He described experiencing an anxiety attack upon realizing the extent of the false claims being shared online. He expressed fear of harassment due to his race, noting that many far-right individuals had previously targeted him with racist comments. He filed a formal complaint on Saturday night, according to reports. Youssef was asleep when the allegations surfaced. His neighbor woke him up, informing him that his family was worried because his photo had appeared online, falsely accusing him of the murder. Youssef discovered that the image had been taken from his TikTok profile and was randomly placed in the fake news story. He described feeling shocked and stressed as the misinformation gained more traction, leading to increased hate speech directed at him. Both men have faced threats and hate messages online, including calls for violence against them. Although the original posts have been removed, screenshots continue to circulate, perpetuating the false narrative. Neither Ahmed nor Youssef knows why their images were selected for the misinformation campaign, but both believe it was based on racial bias.
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Two Spanish youths, Ahmed Benyahia and Youssef Abraoui, were falsely accused by far-right accounts of murdering an 83-year-old woman in Burgos. The misinformation spread rapidly online, using photos of the two men without their consent. The false claims originated from a far-right pseudo-outlet called 'El Imperial,' which later admitted the error but had already caused significant harm. Ahmed described experiencing anxiety after learning of the accusations, fearing threats from far-right groups. He reported the incident to authorities, while Youssef was unaware of the allegations until they began circulating online.
Bias read (Center): The article presents both the false accusations made by far-right accounts and the impact on the wrongly accused individuals without taking a stance on the broader political implications. It focuses on the factual sequence of events and quotes directly from affected parties and sources.
Two young men, aged 20 and 29, were falsely accused of murdering an 83-year-old woman in Burgos after misinformation spread through social media accounts associated with far-right groups. The false claims originated from pages linked to extreme-right movements such as 'Nucleo Nacional' and 'Revuelta,' which have large followings. These posts led to widespread sharing of the untrue information across platforms like WhatsApp and social media, causing significant distress to the accused individuals. One of them was at a hospital visiting a friend’s mother, while the other was asleep at home when the accusations surfaced. Despite being cleared of any involvement, the men have faced severe personal consequences due to the viral nature of the false narrative.
Bias read (Center): The article presents the situation objectively, focusing on the spread of misinformation by far-right groups without overtly favoring either side. It highlights the impact on the individuals falsely accused but does not take a stance on the political implications of the groups involved.
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