A viral social media post claiming Wokingham town council has approved plans for a ‘mega mosque’ has sparked outrage — but it’s completely false.
An account on Twitter has suggested Wokingham town council has approved the plans, using quotes from a Wokingham Today story regarding a petition that was seeking support from Wokingham borough council.
While it is true that the council have contacted the Wokingham Islamic Centre to discuss the options available, which could include a dedicated mosque or Islamic centre for daily prayers, no plans have yet been made or approved as suggested by an account on X with more than 50,000 followers.
The facts are that no such planning application has been made, nor approved. Wokingham town council would also have no power to approve such a scheme if it was submitted. That would be a matter for Wokingham borough council.
Andrew Batt, senior journalist for Wokingham Today who wrote the original petition story, said: “In the days where everyone with a social media account is effectively a publisher, I’d urge everyone to be careful of what they read, and pay more attention to trusted media outlets.
“In this example, the post about a “mega mosque” being approved is clearly fake news, and has been published purely to create social division.”
