Nora Mubarak, a Muslim woman in Grimsby, says she fears for her safety after a video of her rescuing a baby seagull was manipulated and shared by far-right figures, sparking a wave of online abuse and street harassment. The clip, secretly filmed by two men in a van, shows Nora wrapping the fallen bird in a towel. However, the section where she explains she is returning it to its mother was cut out.
Video shared by local leader and Tommy Robinson
Oliver Freeston, the Reform UK leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, shared the edited video on Facebook with the caption 'Grimsby in 2026'. Far-right activist Tommy Robinson also posted it, writing: 'Invaders catching and killing gulls in broad daylight in “Modern England”. Get these backwards people out!' The video has been viewed at least 3 million times.
Nora, a prominent member of the Seagull Appreciation Society on Facebook, told Metro: 'When I go out, people stare, and sometimes they say things. They shout I’m barbaric, that I’m a savage, that I’m a seagull eater. Even if I wear a mask, people can tell who I am. I fear for my safety, but not only me, for other women that look like me.'
Rescue motivated by compassion
On the day of the rescue, Nora noticed the baby seagull had fallen from its rooftop nest. 'I didn’t want to leave him. He couldn’t fly high to the top of the building. People said I should leave him but I could tell the mum was crying,' she said. When the men filming approached, she explained her actions, but that part was omitted from the viral clip.
'They know I’m doing something good but they cut it out. They lied about me and they posted it and it went viral,' she added. Nora believes the incident reflects rising racism and division. 'This hatred of immigrants and Muslims is distracting from the real problems in society, the billionaires, even the Government who don’t care about our communities.'
Seagull safely reunited
Despite the ordeal, Nora is relieved that the seagull was safely reunited with its mother by a kind neighbour who used a ladder to return it to the nest. 'She was very stressed. They love their babies just like us,' Nora said. 'If God created them, then they are beautiful. For me they are a national British animal – the seagull. They are very special and they should be respected.'
