A video that some online said showed Robert de Niro confronting pro-Palestine protestors and supporting Israel is actually footage of him filming a Netflix series, as proven by Italian journalist David Puente.
In the wake of the mass arrests of pro-Paletsine student protestors on college and university campuses—particularly in New York City and in Los Angeles—the video is being used to push a pro-Israel narrative by some X accounts and an Israeli newspaper.
Initially posted by Im Tirtzu (@IMTIZionism), a Zionist organization, in a now-deleted tweet, the video showed de Niro talking with a crowd of people in New York City. Im Tirtzu tweeted that in the video, de Niro “stands with Israel” and tells others that Palestinian forces plan “to do” another October 7.
Zionism is a movement that believes in the protection of Israel as a Jewish state. On October 7, 2023, Hamas, a Palestinian military group, attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 as hostages.
The video’s subtitles, supplied by Im Tirtzu, allege de Niro said “they say they are going to do it again”, in reference to October 7. In the video, de Niro does not mention the October 7 attack—though he did say the phrase “they say they are going to do it again.”
Puente reported that the video was taken on April 27 on the set of “Zero Day,” which is coincidentally about conspiracy theories.
On April 28, it was posted by the Art of Dialogue, an X account that posts about celebrity interviews and culture. It’s unclear what de Niro is referring to when speaking in the video.
“This is not a movie, this is real. Right now you gotta let them get to work, get their job done. Come on,” de Niro said in the video to a crowd, including actor Jesse Plemons, who also appears in the series, and on-set crew members.
“Behind the barricades. Talking nonsense, then you gotta go home… They say they’re gonna do it again. Again! We don’t want that. You don’t want that, none of us want that. Come on, let’s all get serious, let’s get real.”
Puente further proved the video’s provenance using Getty Images that show de Niro on the “Zero Day” set the day the video was taken.
“The Getty photos show De Niro and the other actors relaxed in the same positions,” Puente tweeted. “None of the descriptions mention [confrontations] with pro-Palestinian protesters.”
Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, and Frédéric Haziza, a French journalist, shared the video and said it showed de Niro confronting pro-Palestinian protestors in New York City and Los Angeles, respectively.
The outlet has since taken down the article and Frédéric deleted his tweet.
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