Posts circulating online in late December claimed to show a Christmas tree in the United Kingdom being deliberately set on fire by Muslims, framing the incident as evidence of hostility towards Christmas and Christian traditions. The claim was accompanied by an image of a large Christmas tree engulfed in flames and spread widely across social media, often alongside anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Our investigations show that the image was deliberately misrepresented to advance a false and inflammatory narrative. A Google reverse image search traced the footage to Chengdu, China, where a Christmas tree caught fire at Sanli Plaza on 25 December 2024. Local authorities cited by AFP stated that the fire was caused by an electrical fault, and there was no evidence of arson or religious motivation.

Claims suggesting that Christmas is under attack by Muslims frequently surface during the festive season and often rely on misleading or unrelated images. In this case, there are no police records or credible media reports indicating that a Christmas tree was deliberately burned by Muslims in the UK.

The claim is therefore false. The image shows a Christmas tree fire in China caused by an electrical malfunction, and it has been misleadingly repurposed to promote divisive narratives about religion and immigration.