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Attenborough Did Not Compare Israelis to Animals

Rebecca Bowen Rebecca Bowen
News
25th May 2021
Attenborough Did Not Compare Israelis to Animals
The fake quote was first posted in a news comments section (Getty Images).

The Claim

Sir David Attenborough once described Israeli violence towards Palestinians by comparing them to animals. 

Emerging story

Throughout the recent crisis between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza, a meme has been circulating featuring Sir David Attenborough, the well-known host of television science programs. The meme shares a quote from Attenborough allegedly from July 21, 2014: ā€œI am not aware of any animal that is so cruel as the Israelis - not even crocodiles,ā€ it reads. Some versions of the meme include a poster promoting a ā€œMarch Against Genocide.ā€

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Misbarā€™s Analysis

Misbarā€™s investigation discovered Sir David Attenborough did not make this statement. First appearing in 2014, an archived copy of a PressTV story shows the earliest iteration of the quote, as a statement made by someone falsely identifying as ā€œDavid Attenboroughā€ in a public comments section.

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From that point, a journalist from ArabNews used the quote in an article and attributed it to Attenborough.

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After the article was published on August 8, 2014, the memes began appearing crediting the real Attenborough with the quote along with the origin date from the news articleā€™s comment section: July 21, 2014.

A spokesperson for Attenborough told Reuters that the conservationist definitely did not make this statement. Attenborough is a highly regarded writer, naturalist, and documentary presenter, with the nine-part series, Life, being his most recognizable work. As a champion for the planet and the natural life on it, Attenborough works to bring attention to issues such as climate change and environmental pollution.

Misbarā€™s Classification

Fake

Misbarā€™s Sources

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