Times Square billboard didn't call cease-fires 'antisemitic.' Photo is fabricated | Fact check

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
·2 min read
10

The claim: Image shows NYC billboard reading ‘Ceasefires are anti-semitic’

A Dec. 31, 2023, Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows two billboards referencing the Israel-Hamas war that were purportedly displayed in Times Square.

“Be human. Stand for Israel,” reads the top billboard. The one below it reads, “Ceasefires are anti-semitic (sic).”

It received more than 24,000 likes in less than two weeks. Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Our rating: Altered

The company that operates the billboard said the image is fabricated. The Israeli-American Council paid for a series of Times Square billboards that read “Be human. Stand for Israel” and also displayed photos of Israeli hostages, but none of the billboards had messages about cease-fires.

Cease-fire message 'never appeared' on the billboard, operator says

Clear Channel Outdoor, which operates the Times Square billboards shown in the post, told USA TODAY the circulating image is altered.

“It never appeared on our display with that copy,” said spokesperson Jason King, referring to the cease-fire statement.

The original image, posted on Facebook by the Consulate General of Israel in New York, shows the "Be human. Stand for Israel." message on both billboards.

The unedited billboards can also be seen in livestreams by the Israeli-American Council, which hosted a pro-Israel rally in October in Times Square amid the Israel-Hamas war. Other billboards not shown in the image included photos of Israeli hostages being held captive in Gaza.

No credible news reports about the event mention billboards calling cease-fires "antisemitic."

Fact check: Times Square billboard altered to falsely claim Trump won 2020 election

USA TODAY has debunked an array of altered New York City billboards, including a video that claimed to show a billboard condemning Hamas violence, a billboard that replaced the words “Stand with Ukraine” to “Stand with Israel” and a photo purporting to show a billboard reading “Glory to Urine" instead of “Glory to Ukraine” during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the city.

Supporters of Israel face people rallying in support of Palestinians after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel in Times Square on Oct. 8, 2023 in New York.
Supporters of Israel face people rallying in support of Palestinians after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel in Times Square on Oct. 8, 2023 in New York.

USA TODAY reached out to several users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

Reuters, AFP Fact Check and Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Photo of anti-cease-fire sign in New York is fabricated | Fact check