It’s hard to know the truth in all this but if history is any guide the tabloid press, working with the police, have a dark past of smearing individuals with a social conscience:
A hunger striker who held a 23-day fast in Parliament Square last year in protest at the Sri Lanka’s offensive against the Tamil Tigers is suing two newspapers over claims that he secretly ate burgers during his vigil.
Parameswaran Subramanyam, a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee who now lives in south London, has issued proceedings against the Daily Mail and [Murdoch’s] The Sun over articles they ran last October claiming that he was secretly given Big Macs by his supporters.