Las Vegas Sphere Denies Israeli Flag Display
Posted on: October 13, 2023, 10:12h.
Last updated on: October 13, 2023, 10:12h.
The Las Vegas Sphere entertainment venue has denied displaying the Israeli flag, dismissing viral social media claims as a fabrication. The official X (Twitter) account clarified that a video clip suggesting the display was fake.
A video showing the Las Vegas Sphere with the blue Star of David rotating slowly on its dome gained significant traction on social media. However, the official account emphasized the video’s inauthenticity and had to address each share and reshare to avoid engaging in sensitive political matters.
Combatting Misinformation
X has become a breeding ground for misinformation and deep fakes since the recent Israeli conflict. False stories circulating include an alleged Israeli bombing of a church in Gaza and claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu was injured by Palestinian rockets.
Misleading images, such as one featuring Ronaldo holding the Palestinian flag, and videos from the Syrian civil war presented as recent, are also circulating on the platform.
Reuters confirmed that the Las Vegas Sphere video depicting the Israeli flag was indeed false. The Sphere’s unaffiliated YouTube channel, which continuously livestreams the venue, stated that no such display occurred.
Origins of the Video
The original video was posted by the Twitter account “Tallywood,” owned by Tal Cooperman, a former clothing designer and current executive creative director for Station Casinos. Cooperman, who once dated Carmen Elektra, created the video as a visual effects demonstration to express empathy for festivalgoers affected by the conflict with Hamas.
Cooperman explained on X, “I posted a VFX video of an Israeli flag on a ball. I was trying to raise awareness of what is goin on in my country. My 2 cousins wr at a festival that hundreds of people wr slaughtered and murdered at. I wntd 2create NOISE and be heard. But I always said VFX.”
The video was later taken out of context and circulated as genuine by another account.