Elham Asaad Buaras
A Muslim woman says she was subjected to a torrent of racist abuse after a video of her rescuing a young seagull was falsely portrayed online as showing her harming the bird.
Nora Mubarak, from Grimsby, said she was branded “savage”, “barbaric” and a “seagull eater” after footage of the rescue was widely shared on social media, including by the leader of North East Lincolnshire Council.
Oliver Freeston, the Reform UK council leader, shared the video on Facebook on July 8 with the caption: “Grimsby in 2026.”
He later deleted the post and issued a public clarification the following day, saying he was “really pleased” to learn the footage had in fact shown Mubarak rescuing the bird.
But Mubarak said the apology came “too little, too late” and insisted the damage had already been done. “He should be held responsible for his actions,” she said.
Mubarak said she had spotted the young gull, which had fallen from its nest, on July 7 and initially tried to rescue it with another woman. Unable to catch the bird, they left food for it before returning the following morning equipped with a sheet to safely capture it.
After catching the gull, Mubarak enlisted the help of a local shopkeeper to return it safely to its rooftop nest.
She said she felt “really happy and excited” after the rescue and shared the story on a Facebook group dedicated to seagull appreciation.
However, shortly afterwards she was approached by people in a passing vehicle who questioned what she was doing.
Mubarak said she explained she was rescuing the bird but was unaware she was being filmed. She later discovered the footage had been uploaded online alongside false claim that she had harmed the gull.
A friend alerted her after the video began circulating widely across social media.
“It was totally untrue and taken out of context,” she said.
Mubarak said the online backlash quickly spilled onto the streets, where she was verbally abused by people who recognised her from the footage.
She believes much of the abuse was fuelled by anti-Muslim prejudice.
“I still believe in the goodness and kindness of the people here, the British people,” she said.
Among those who shared the video was Freeston.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, his original Facebook post reminded followers that wild gulls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 before adding: “Perhaps Nigel Farage was right…”
After learning the true circumstances, Freeston posted a public apology on.
“Credit where credit is due, fair play to the lady for rescuing the bird,” he wrote.
“If I can make a donation to an animal charity of your choice, please reach out to me.
“If she is involved in campaigning for animal welfare, I would be more than happy to meet with her to discuss how I can support those efforts.”
Despite the apology, Mubarak said the abuse had continued.
Explaining why she had chosen to speak publicly, Mubarak said she wanted to correct the false narrative surrounding the video.
“People need to know the truth about the video,” she said.
“I won’t allow him to use me to stir racism.”
