Tories slam 'outrageous' Diane Abbott for sharing fake Syria bombing picture
2 min read
Labour frontbencher Diane Abbott has been blasted after using a made-up image to attack the Government over Syria.
Ahead of what is set to be a heated debate in the House of Commons on Theresa May's controversial decision to join French and American strikes on Syria this weekend, the Shadow Home Secretary shared a mocked-up image of Israeli jets bombing Iran.
The image - which appears at the top of Google search results for both 'bombing' and 'Syria bombing' - originally appeared on blog The Aviationist in 2012, alongside a disclaimer explaining its origins.
"Obviously, it is only a fictional scene, however it is quite realistic for an eventual strike on the Tehran Nuclear Research Center, that is located not far from the Milad Tower, clearly visible on the background," the blog said.
The Conservatives have called on Ms Abbott to apologise, with Tory Deputy Chairman James Cleverly telling PoliticsHome the use of the picture was "outrageous".
He added: "It would be barely excusable from anyone - it is totally unacceptable from the opposition front bench. To imply that this was a attack on civilian homes, as the picture did, is a vile misrepresentation. Ms Abbott should delete the tweet and apologise."
Challenged on the use of the image which has been shared by over 1000 people, the Shadow Home Secretary was unrepentant, instead hitting out at the "pathetic" media.
Her comments come after Shadow Attorney General Shami Chakrabarti this morning said Theresa May had not met her own legal tests for launching the strikes, which the Government has claimed were justified on humanitarian grounds.
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