This is an edited version of the Julian Priestley Memorial Lecture delivered by the author on 7 May 2021.

Multiple Instagram, Facebook and Twitter posts have shared an aerial photo which they claim shows a protest against coronavirus lockdowns in the UK capital of London in April 2021. The claim is false: the photo shows a march in October 2018 that called for a fresh referendum on Brexit.

"European Parliament votes to create 'BERLIN TIME' that UK could be forced to adopt". That was the colourful claim from British tabloid the Daily Express on March 26. The article claims that MEPs have voted to "advance plans to shift to Berlin time in 2021". Although some elements of the article are correct, no specific time zone is being imposed in the EU.