Israel Hamas

Did Belgian public broadcaster VRT make an editorial decision to intentionally interrupt Eurovision song contest coverage to express its protest against Israel's actions in Gaza? No, that's not true: The message that appeared on the TV screens was posted by VRT unions, not VRT, a spokesperson for the TV channel confirmed to Lead Stories. One union openly wrote about that…

Did King Frederik X of Denmark wave a Palestinian flag from a balcony in Copenhagen as a crowd of protesters were passing below? No, that's not true: This video was filmed in Malmo, Sweden, about 17 miles away and across the Øresund strait from the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark. The man on the balcony waving the flag is not…

Does a video in a social media post show "Muslim migrants" destroying public property because an Israeli singer was featured in the Eurovision song contest? No, that's not true: The footage shows a 2009 anti-Israel demonstration in Sweden that turned violent. That 2009 demonstration occurred during a tennis tournament and was not related to that year's Eurovision contest, which was…

Does a viral video show actor Harrison Ford advocating for Palestine? No, that's not true: A fragment of his speech was taken out of context. Ford was discussing the Amazon rainforest at a 2019 United Nations climate event, over four years before the Hamas-Israel war that began on October 7, 2023. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on…

Is a photo showing a woman holding a pro-Palestine sign that reads "You don't get to choose who we rape" authentic? No, that's not true: the photo was digitally altered to change the original sign which read "You don't get to choose how we resist." While the woman in the picture is a real protester at a real pro-Palestine ceasefire…

Did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu make an announcement on April 17, 2024, pledging to spend $5 billion to construct new settlements in the Gaza Strip? No, that's not true: The video posted on X shows Netanyahu speaking in Hebrew, but the English subtitles do not accurately reflect what he said. The subtitles mention "settlements of the Gaza Strip" but…

Does a viral video capture people in Rafah applying makeup in order to fake injuries? No, that's not true: The claim mislabels a behind-the-scenes video from the production of a Palestinian TV series, not real-life scenes taking place in Gaza on May 6, 2024. The project premiered on March 12, 2024. The story appeared in a post (archived here) on…

Does a video show pro-Palestinian protesters at Harvard University replacing the U.S. flag with a Palestinian flag at a university building? No, that's not true: The Palestinian flags were raised when U.S. flags were not flying at the building. The Palestinian flags were removed by campus officials shortly after they were raised by protesters. The claim appeared in a post…

Does a video show actor Robert De Niro yelling at anti-Israel protestors? No, that's not true: A spokesperson at Netflix told Lead Stories that this video was taken during the rehearsal of an upcoming series. Lead Stories found photographs on Getty Images of De Niro in the same clothing he was wearing in the claim. The caption to these photos…

Do photos circulating on social media prove that pro-Palestinian college protesters in the U.S. are using largely identical tents? No, that's not true: While there is an abundance of green tents at the nationwide protests, images from multiple campuses show a broad variety of tents in the encampments. The green tents are sold at Walmart nationwide. The claim about lookalike…