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Quick Take
As some celebrities issued statements in response to the Israel-Hamas war, a video posted to social media falsely claimed that pop star Taylor Swift stopped screenings of her new film in Israel. But it was technical difficulties with showtime schedules that made screenings appear unavailable in Israel. Screenings of the film have continued in Israel.
Full Story
Some celebrities have made public statements of support for Israelis and concern for Gaza residents amid the fighting between Israel and Hamas, which began with the Palestinian militant group’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
The Associated Press reported that more than 10,000 Palestinians have died, citing the Gaza health ministry on Nov. 6, and about 1,400 people have died in Israel. AP said the Gaza health ministry “does not distinguish between fighters and civilians,” while most of the Israelis killed were civilians killed in the Hamas surprise attack on Oct. 7.
The conflict has fueled a firestorm of misinformation on social media, as we’ve previously written, and the online claims recently cast a spotlight on one of America’s most popular cultural figures.
A video was posted on Instagram on Nov. 6 with the caption, “Taylor Swift Pulls Eras Film Screenings In Israel,” referring to the singer-songwriter’s concert tour movie. The Instagram video is narrated by celebrity news vlogger Rivet Soro. In the video, Soro says, “Looks like Taylor Swift has pulled ‘Eras’ tour screenings in Israel until further notice.” The post has received more than 6,800 likes.
In the video, Soro shares a screenshot from the film’s official website, in which a search for showings in Israel yields the error message, “All screenings for this country are postponed until further notice.”
Many commenters, believing the Soro’s post to be accurate, expressed support for Swift. “Great job tay!” wrote one user.
But the claim is false. As the entertainment news site TMZ reported, technical difficulties — not a political statement — had made showtime schedules, managed by a third-party company, appear unavailable in Israel. The website now shows numerous results for screenings in Israel.
An article in the Jerusalem Post on Nov. 6 featured interviews with Israeli fans of Swift who saw the film in Jerusalem over the weekend. Even as the website said screenings in Israel were postponed, they were still taking place.
We were unable to reach Swift’s representatives for comment.
Swift has faced pressure from both sides of the conflict to speak out. As Newsweek reported, some of Swift’s fans recently started using the hashtag #SwiftiesForPalestine on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Meanwhile, the verified X account for the state of Israel has urged Swift to call for the return of an Israeli hostage who is a fan of the pop star.
Sources
Bigg, Matthew Mpoke. “What We Know About the War Between Israel and Hamas.” New York Times. 2 Nov 2023.
Brown, Hannah. “Fearless Swift fans celebrate concert film in Jerusalem.” The Jerusalem Post. 6 Nov 2023.
Christensen, Sean. “Posts Use Fabricated Audio to Misrepresent CNN Report During Rocket Attack in Israel.” FactCheck.org. 23 Oct 2023.
Hale Spencer, Sara and D’Angelo Gore. “What We Know About Three Widespread Israel-Hamas War Claims.” FactCheck.org. Updated 24 Oct 2023.
Izevbigie, Blossom. “Online Video Misrepresents Putin Speech Commemorating WWII Victory.” FactCheck.org. 2 Nov 2023.
Jobain, Najib, Jack Jeffery and Lee Keath. “Israeli forces cut off north Gaza to isolate Hamas as an advance on the urban center looms.” Associated Press. 6 Nov 2023.
Moorman, Taijuan and KiMi Robinson. “Celebrities call for ceasefire, decry civilian deaths: Hollywood reacts to Israel-Hamas war.” USA Today. Updated 7 Nov 2023.
Sachdeva, Maanya. “Madonna and Natali Portman lead celebrity reactions to Israel-Hamas conflict.” The Independent. 13 Oct 2023.
Smith, Ryan. “Israel asks Taylor Swift for Help.” Newsweek. 7 Nov 2023.
TMZ. “Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ Movie Still Playing in Israel… Despite Rumors to Contrary.” Nov 6 2023.