Attenborough Did Not Compare Israelis to Animals
The Claim
Sir David Attenborough once described Israeli violence towards Palestinians by comparing them to animals.
News posted on
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: “I am not aware of any animal that is so cruel as the Israelis - not even crocodiles,” it reads. Some versions of the meme include a poster promoting a “March Against Genocide.”
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’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 “David Attenborough” in a public comments section.
From that point, a journalist from ArabNews used the quote in an article and attributed it to Attenborough.
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 article’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.
