By Marco Silva
BBC Climate Disinformation Specialist
False claims that a lockdown to help fight climate change could soon be enforced in Oxford have spread on social media. Residents are confused and local politicians have received a torrent of abuse as a result.
"I'm still feeling a bit bruised, if I'm honest, and a bit cautious," said Duncan Enright, cabinet member for travel and development strategy at Oxfordshire County Council.
The last two weeks have been unusual for him, to say the least. He has been berated by complete strangers on social media. Death threats have put him and his family on guard.
"I know people very well in this area, and they're lovely," he said. "This is something I've never experienced before in many years in local politics."
So how did a mainly rural county suddenly find itself at the heart of a social media storm?
In November, Oxfordshire County Council approved a 6.5m trial scheme designed to stop most drivers in Oxford from using busy city routes at peak times.
To achieve that goal, the council proposed the creation of traffic filters, enforced through cameras, in six key locations across the city.
Private cars will not be allowed through without a permit. All other vehicles, including public transport and bikes, will be exempt.
After the news broke, a number of fringe media outlets began describing the initiative as an effective "climate lockdown".
They falsely claimed that the scheme would, in practice, "lock" residents in their own...
President Donald Trump falsely claimed that the stock market had “hit a new high” on Thursday, while the Dow plunged over three hundred points. Trump spoke to press while visiting the Lincoln Memo...