Here’s someone called Marwan Muhammad who took issue with a story in Mail Online about ‘illegal immigrants’ living in a part of Paris and the ‘tensions in a community at odds with mainstream society’.

Hello @MailOnline. I've read your "devastating" article on "illegal migrants in Saint Denis". We too in France have tabloïds who couldn't care less about the truth, but I really have to say: you're in a league of your own. Everything in your paper is wrong. A fact checking: 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/zWiqlffxsP — Marwan Muhammad (@_MarwanMuhammad) August 4, 2018

Except they didn’t just take issue with it, they pulled it apart line by line and it went viral because it’s so brilliantly done, a forensic deconstruction in 18 parts.

1.

Mistake 1: from beginning to end, your reporter confuses “Saint Denis” (the city) and “Seine Saint Denis” (the département). There’s a small difference between the two: “Seine Saint Denis” includes 40 cities, over 236 km2. A simple look at a map would have saved you the trouble. pic.twitter.com/md0OWN84ug — Marwan Muhammad (@_MarwanMuhammad) August 4, 2018

2.

Mistake 2: your reporter misinterprets the facts. In France (it might be useful to know this, as a “journalist”), it’s forbidden to take pictures of someone without explicit consent. This is punishable by law, with fines up to 45 000 Euros. pic.twitter.com/ASfJPZGYHh — Marwan Muhammad (@_MarwanMuhammad) August 4, 2018

Also, Saint Denis includes 90+ nationalities (also including – presumably – white people), so the “odd looks” your reporter refers to have nothing to do with his skin color, but rather (if they are true), with his stalking and impolite attitude toward inhabitants (as we’ll see). — Marwan Muhammad (@_MarwanMuhammad) August 4, 2018

3.

Mistake 3: your reporter claims that it’s more difficult to “sell”, for real estate agents. A quick look at the data on this website show that buying/selling in Saint Denis is as dynamic as anywhere around Paris. There are loads of new building programs: https://t.co/dIwM53inos pic.twitter.com/e8OFFYta3N — Marwan Muhammad (@_MarwanMuhammad) August 4, 2018

4.

Mistake 4 (the worst): Your reporter claims there are “as many as 300000 illegal immigrants” in Saint Denis “according to French parliamentarians”. They say the exact opposite:

“The only thing we are sure about is that the State doesn’t know how many illegal immigrants there are” pic.twitter.com/7Ou7H3gHKE — Marwan Muhammad (@_MarwanMuhammad) August 4, 2018

Now let’s look at the population data in Saint Denis. Since 1968, the population has only increased 11,5%, reaching 110 733 in 2014, so please explain to us (with all due respect to elementary arithmetics), how could 300 000 of these 110 733 human beings be illegal immigrants ? pic.twitter.com/d9GXprnUqU — Marwan Muhammad (@_MarwanMuhammad) August 4, 2018

So where did your reporter get his fake story of hundreds of thousands illegal migrant in Saint Denis? Simple: on far right websites who are known to invent statistics, spread fake news and stigmatise communities. They’ve been punished by courts x times for incitement to hatred. pic.twitter.com/2cPVggKSwH — Marwan Muhammad (@_MarwanMuhammad) August 4, 2018

5.

Mistake 5: There are no religious courts in France (unlike other countries) and no shari’a council (except in the mind of the worst islamophobes). The same laws apply everywhere in France, to everyone (except in some president’s entourage ;-)). Where, PRECISELY, did you see this? pic.twitter.com/dbTzdqlTkd — Marwan Muhammad (@_MarwanMuhammad) August 4, 2018

6.

Mistake 6: your reporter refers to the 2010 ban of the niqab as a law “promoting integration”. There is absolutely no such thing in the law, which can be found here:https://t.co/UCSn73KSVl It focuses only on security. And has produced the exact opposite impact in society. pic.twitter.com/RNvz6nohlS — Marwan Muhammad (@_MarwanMuhammad) August 4, 2018

7.

Mistake 7: the word “cleary” covers no fact. What evidence does your reporter provide to substanciate his claim that these items are stolen? Suburbs around Paris have dozens of markets (sometimes informal) where these items (mostly 2nd hands) are sold. And yes, SOME are stolen. pic.twitter.com/5dZtJcfqEl — Marwan Muhammad (@_MarwanMuhammad) August 4, 2018

8.

Mistake 8: your reporter presents the fact that police officers are armed and several in the vehicle as something exceptional. This is standard procedure. They are by teams on patrol and carrying their weapon is standard policy in France, when they are on duty (unlike in the UK). pic.twitter.com/wGqxebJXT0 — Marwan Muhammad (@_MarwanMuhammad) August 4, 2018

9.