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Hollywood actor Harrison Ford is garnering attention online after a video purporting to show him giving praise to pro-Palestine protesters began spreading across social media. But one must ask, given the constant spread of disinformation online, is it real?
In numerous posts across sites such as Facebook, TikTok, and X, Ford is seen giving a speech discussing “a new force of nature at hand, stirring all over the world.”
Captions on the video claim that Ford is referencing events on college campuses across the U.S., where protesters have been calling for a ceasefire and an end to the ongoing war in Palestine.
“They are the young people whom frankly, we have failed, who are angry, who are organized, who are capable of making a difference,” Ford continues.
The Indiana Jones star goes on to refer to a “moral army” before telling listeners that “the most important thing that we can do for them is to get the hell out of their way.”
In response, praise was quickly heaped onto the A-list actor by users on social media.
“Love this speech,” one user said.
“God bless Harrison Ford,” another added. “Free Palestine.”
A handful of pro-Israel users, however, attacked Ford for appearing to take the side of the protesters.
“Stick to your day job Harrison,” they wrote. “You have know logical idea of what you are talking about.”
Viral video doesn’t show Harrison Ford praising pro-Palestine protesters
Yet despite the intense bickering, both sides are missing one important piece of the puzzle: Primarily, the fact that Ford is not referring to Palestine at all. In fact, the video isn’t even from this year.
Turns out the footage was actually filmed in Sept. 2019 when Ford gave a speech at the United Nations in New York. Ford was speaking about climate change or, more specifically, efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest at the Climate Action Summit.
The full version of the video makes clear that Ford is in no way discussing current events regarding Israel and Palestine.
“We’ve been talking about saving the Amazon for 30 years. Almost 30 years ago, Sting held a concert to save the Amazon right here in New York,” Ford said during his opening. “And we’re still talking about it. The world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon, is crucial to any climate change solution.”
Ford is far from the first celebrity to be incorrectly tied into the ongoing war in Gaza. Old footage of Hollywood actor Robert De Niro was also taken out of context in recent weeks.
Why it matters
While some celebrities have commented on the war in Gaza, many others haven’t. As always, make sure to double-check when coming across footage that claims to show a high-profile figure making such remarks.
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