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| - Fact Check: Viral photo of 'Ceasefires are anti-Semitic' billboard is photoshopped!
India Today found that the message "Ceasefires are anti-Semitic" was superimposed onto the billboard digitally.
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India Today Fact Check
The billboard originally contained the message "Be human. Stand for Israel," and the text "Ceasefires are anti-Semitic" was digitally added later.
Times Square in New York is a globally renowned outdoor advertising hub. A photo of an ad there is now going viral. The billboard displayed, alongside the flag of Israel, messages in support of the nation. They were: "Be human. Stand for Israel," and "Ceasefire is anti-Semitic."
Many on social media expressed their disapproval of the second message. One X user questioned the advertisement, and wrote, "What the hell is actually going on right now; I can't believe we're just watching this happen." An archived version of the viral tweet can be seen here.
India Today found that while a Times Square billboard did carry a message calling for support for Israel, "Ceasefire is anti-Semitic" was digitally added to the photo.
Our Probe
When we performed a reverse search on the viral image, we came across several social media posts that featured photos of the pro-Israel display at Times Square, New York.
We observed that the second billboard in the picture did not include the phrase "Ceasefire is anti-Semitic." Instead, both billboards displayed the same message "Be Human. Stand for Israel."
Further searches led to a tweet containing the viral picture that indicated that it was a paid advertisement by the Israeli-American Council, an American nonprofit organisation.
We then found the viral image on the Israeli American Council's Facebook account. Importantly, the billboard seen in the Facebook post did not include the text "Ceasefires are anti-Semitic". This post contained various photos from the pro-Israel protest that occurred on October 20, showing other advertisements featuring the faces of hostages taken by Hamas and billboards displaying the Israeli flag.
Moreover, several media organisations and Israel Embassy in the United States had also shared the original photo of the viral advertisement on Facebook. Here too, the advertisement in question only contained the message “Be Human. Stand for Israel,” and not the phrase "Ceasefires are anti-Semitic".
We also found photos and videos of the billboard shot from other angles on Twitter, showing the grand billboard featuring the viral message: "Be Human. Stand for Israel"
India Today contacted the Israeli-American Council to seek further clarification about the advertisement. The report will be updated once we receive a response.
In conclusion, it's evident that an advertisement in Times Square calling for support for Israel was digitally altered to include a misleading message about ceasefires being anti-Semitic.
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