Did Oxford University politics tutor Matthew Williams give five reasons why Ukraine is a dictatorship and not a democracy? No, that's not true: A video circulating on social media showing Williams has faked audio. It's taken from an Oxford University social media post where Williams discussed tips for students to get into Oxford. Williams told Lead Stories that he never made comments about Ukraine.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on February 23, 2024. It shows Williams introducing himself as a teacher of politics at Oxford University and then cuts to footage related to Ukraine, accompanied by audio, allegedly by Williams, listing five reasons why Ukraine cannot be considered a democracy. These include claims that there are no oppositional parties or free media in the country. The text overlay on the video (translated from Czech to English by Lead Stories staff) read:
Oxford professor listing five criteria proving that Ukraine is a dictatorship.
My name is Matt Williams and I teach politics at Oxford University.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Mar 7 09:10:38 2024 UTC)
Matthew Williams (archived here), a tutor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Jesus College, Oxford, wrote in an email to Lead Stories on March 6, 2024, that the audio about Ukraine was "completely fabricated" and that he had "no idea" where it came from. Williams also added that he "would never make such outrageous claims in support of Russian disinformation."
The first part of the video shown on TikTok is taken from an Oxford University social media post in which Williams gives his five top personal tips for students writing a personal statement when applying to Oxford University. The original post on Facebook, a reel, with the original audio, can be found here.
