Beccy

I think the story is a phony, but not a red herring. A red herring is "something that draws attention away from the central issue" according to my dictionary.

The central issue is "is it a good idea to wear a white scarf to show a desire for peace?" Concentrating on the story, with the implication that because the story is probably false, wearing a scarf for peace is somehow invalid --that's a red herring.

Wear the scarf, lose the story.

clint