Viral video shows fabricated Times Square billboard condemning Hamas violence | Fact check

Andre Byik, USA TODAY
·2 min read

The claim: Video shows New York City billboard condemning Hamas violence with bloodied pants

A Dec. 20 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) shows a digital billboard flanked by tall buildings on an urban street corner that reads, "Hamas brutally raped & murdered hundreds of Israeli women." The words are then wiped away with digital blood to read, "Can you still ignore them now?"

A pair of bloodied sweatpants are seemingly draped over the billboard and blowing in the breeze.

"Powerful messaging in Times Square that can't be ignored," reads a caption on the video.

The post was liked more than 25,000 times in two days.

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Our rating: Altered

The video is fabricated. A spokesman for the company that owns the billboard said the advertisement never appeared on its displays.

Times Square billboard shows 'fake' advertisement, spokesperson says

The video shows a billboard at the corner of West 47th Street and 7th Avenue in New York City, according to Google Maps. The billboard is owned by Clear Channel Outdoor.

Jason King, a spokesman for the company, said in an email that the advertisement shown on the Times Square billboard is a "fake."

"It has never run on any of our displays," King said.

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USA TODAY has debunked other altered images of New York City billboards, including one that replaced the words "stand with Ukraine" with "stand with Israel," and another that read, "Trump won."

The Instagram user who shared the video did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows fabricated Times Square billboard condemning Hamas | Fact check