Four men stand in army fatigues under exposed wooden beams in a small room, berets jutting forward on their heads as they focus shooting at a target. The camera pans left, revealing the target: an easel holding a large photograph of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, standing at a lectern at party conference, a red wall behind him, the image of his face now pocked with holes. A caption, “Happy with that” overlays the Snapchat video.

After the clip circulated on social media, Britain’s Ministry of Defence was forced to confirm that it showed members of the Army’s Third Parachute Regiment at a base in Kabul, Afghanistan. One former soldier shared the clip with a tweet saying, “Not looking good for a Labour leader,” then deleted the tweet and video after they began to gain traction, claiming it was fake, and attacking those complaining.

The army accepted that the video showed active soldiers and was inappropriate, promising a full inquiry. Many Twitter comments on news reports of the case supported the paratroopers, with Spectator columnist James Delingpole opining, “How is it wrong for the Army to train against terrorist-supporting, Jew-hating, Commie revolutionaries? Don’t get the fuss.” Responses to a Sky News reporter’s tweet included, “What a shame it was only paintballs would have been better if they had something a bit more powerful!” and “I’m surprised that his and Diane’s Abbots heads/bodies are not put on ALL firing ranges.” One of the former soldiers who first shared the video had previously tweeted, “Well @jeremycorbyn you should be thankful that veterans abide by the law or you would be in a box in the ground already.”