CADBURY’S HAS CONFIRMED that it is not selling chocolate eggs to celebrate an Islamic holiday, after fake images of ‘Eid eggs’ were shared online in recent weeks.
Eid Al-Fitr is the Islamic festival that marks the end of Ramadan, a month-long period of daytime fasting. Eid falls on 19 and 20 March this year, close to Easter Sunday on 5 April.
The image, which has been shared on social media sites including Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok, shows what looks like a typical Easter egg but the box is inscribed with “Eid Egg”.
The box features an image of a smiling man in a turban before a desert scene with people on camels and Islamic architecture.
There is a halal label on one corner of the box and the foil around the egg is decorated with the Islamic symbol of the crescent moon.
The image is not a real photo.
A spokesperson for Cadbury’s told The Journal:
“This isn’t a real product. Our Easter range is available to view on our website.”
A fake image of a Cadbury’s Eid Egg that does not exist.
There are some indications that the image is AI-generated.
The Cadbury’s logo on the box does not match the real Cadbury’s logo exactly.
Additionally, the image of the man on the front is supposed to wrap arround the corner of the box, but the perspective doesn’t change accordingly.
(Above) The fake Cadbury’s logo from the image and (below) the real Cadbury’s logo.
In many instances, the people sharing this image appear to be doing so in order to get a reaction from people opposed to the presence of Muslim culture in the Western world.
“It’s happened! They have taken over the eggs! Angry Far Right raging comments incoming…” reads one Facebook post from 15 February that has received 441 reactions and 575 comments.
Conspiracist claims about Islam “taking over” Europe are common among far-right political groups. These claims often crop up around Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter.
But in this case, it appears the fake image of the “Eid Egg” is largely being shared as a joke aimed at antagonising the people who normally make those complaints.
“I wonder how many on the far-right will fall for this?” asked on X user in a post that has garnered 12,000 likes.
As AI image generating models become more sophisticated, there use in the spread of misinformation and disinformation is growing.
The Journal has recently debunked images appearing to show the arrest and mugshot of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and others purporting to show Brad Pitt drinking pints in Dublin.
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