The United Nations Headquarters Did Not Raise Pride Flags
The Claim
The United Nations has replaced all 193 world flags with rainbow pride flags to celebrate Pride Month.
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Emerging story
During the ongoing Pride month, there were claims made by social media users that the United Nations replaced all 193 world flags with rainbow pride flags in order to commemorate Pride month.
These claims were accompanied by a video and a photo that supposedly depicted rainbow flags displayed in front of the United Nations.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating claim and found it to be misleading.
The United Nations headquarters in New York did not raise rainbow flags to commemorate Pride Month. Instead, it was the Rockefeller Center in the same city that raised the rainbow flags for this occasion.
Video and Photo of Pride Flags Were Shot in Rockefeller Center’s Square
Contrary to the viral claim, the video and the photo of pride flags were not shot in front of the headquarters of the United Nations in New York, but in front of Rockefeller Center.
Misbar’s team searched online using a reverse image search of the same flags and building and found it to show Rockefeller Center’s square.
Similar videos showing the identical flags in Rockefeller Center’s square were shared online.
Rockefeller Center Celebrates Pride Month
Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres between 48th Street and 51st Street in the Manhattan neighborhood of New York City.
While Rockefeller Center in New York typically displays the flags of the 193 member states of the United Nations on regular days, it also routinely replaces them during Christmas and various other occasions.
According to Rockefeller Center's website, the celebration of Pride Month has become an integral part of Rockefeller Center's events, contributing significantly to creating an inclusive and diverse environment for everyone in the center of Midtown.
The Center has been displaying rainbow flags to celebrate Pride Month since June 2019.
Flags of the United Nations
The 195 flags displayed outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York are organized in alphabetical order based on the English language. These flags represent 193 member states, ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, along with two observer states, namely the Holy See and the State of Palestine.
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