Post recycles old video of protest outside Israeli Consulate in Istanbul | Fact check

Andre Byik, USA TODAY
·2 min read

The claim: Video shows protesters attacking Israeli Consulate in Turkey in May 2024

A May 27 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a group of people gathered around a fire that's burning near a building. At least one person is holding a Turkish flag and another person appears to try to light part of the building on fire.

"BREAKING Protesters Burn Down The Israeli Consulate In Turkey," reads text on the video.

The post's caption includes the hashtags #rafah, #istanbul and #gazaunderattack.

The post was liked more than 6,000 times in two days. A similar post was liked more than 34,000 times before it was deleted.

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Our rating: False

While the video shows a protest at the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, it is not new. The video has been circulating on social media since at least October 2023.

Protest video dates back to October 2023

At least 45 Palestinians were killed in a fire that broke out at a temporary refugee camp following an Israeli airstrike near the southern Gaza city of Rafah on May 26, USA TODAY reported. The strike prompted protests around the world, including a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul on May 27, according to news reports.

But the video in the Instagram post does not show the May 27 demonstration or any demonstration in 2024. Instead, it shows a protest that happened at the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul in October 2023.

A nearly identical version of the video was shared on X, formerly Twitter, on Oct. 17, 2023. X users who shared the video described it as showing protesters setting fire to the diplomatic building.

Fact check: Newspaper headline calling 'genocide' protests antisemitic isn't real

Israeli news outlet Haaretz reported on Oct. 18, 2023, that demonstrators targeted the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul with sticks, stones and fireworks. The protest happened after a blast at a hospital in the Gaza Strip reportedly killed scores of civilians, the article said.

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 2023 protest at Israeli Consulate in Istanbul | Fact check

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