FACT CHECK: Video shows protest vs fast fashion, not Israel-Hamas war

CLAIM: A video shows a pile of clothes from fashion brand Zara that Americans threw away to protest the company’s ad about the ongoing war in Gaza.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim was made in a December 13 post on X (formerly Twitter) by the verified account @KKhanabadosh which has 8,643 followers. The post garnered 521,800 views, 95 comments, 870 shares, and 1,600 likes as of writing.

Several accounts on X have also reposted the same video.

The facts: The video is unrelated to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The original video is part of an advertising campaign by the second-hand fashion shop Vestiaire Collective against fast fashion, posted on TikTok on November 16, 2023.

“With 92 million tons of textiles sent to landfill every year, now’s the time to act. That’s why, from today, we’re banning another 30 fast fashion brands from Vestiaire Collective, including Zara, H&M, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, Mango, Urban Outfitters, and Uniqlo,” the video caption reads.

Zara ad: Fashion brand Zara recently drew flak for “The Jacket” advertisement campaign which critics said featured images reminiscent of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The campaign shows “unfinished sculptures in a sculptor’s studio,” including one of a model holding a wrapped-up mannequin, which social media users said resembled someone holding a corpse.

Following the backlash, the company released a statement of apology on December 13.

The company said the campaign was “created with the sole purpose of showcasing craftmade garments in an artistic context.”

It added that the campaign was conceptualized in July and photographed in September, prior to the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East.

Israel-Hamas disinformation: On October 7, Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel, sparking the current conflict. Around 19,000 Palestinians have been killed in the two-month war, according to Gaza health officials. Amid international calls for a ceasefire, Israel continued to step up its attacks on Gaza. (TIMELINE: A brief history of Gaza’s 75 years of woe)

The conflict has also seen the rapid spread of disinformation on social media, with videos and images being taken out of context and repurposed as real representations of the war. (READ: What you need to know about disinformation in the Israel-Hamas war)

Rappler has debunked various false claims related to the Israel-Hamas conflict:

– James Patrick Cruz/Rappler.com

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