Artists and musicians have faced calls to boycott Israel even before the recent conflict with Gaza. A quote attributed to Mick Jagger, frontman for the band the Rolling Stones, was circulating on social media in early December, leading many to believe the band had added a tour stop in Israel. This is false. The quote is fabricated and the band has not planned a concert in Israel.
A on X, formerly known as Twitter, includes an image of Rolling Stones singer Jagger with overlaid text of an apparent quote from the rock star: "We’ve been slammed and smacked and twittered a lot by the anti-Israel side; all I can say is: anything worth doing is worth overdoing. So we decided to add a concert in Israel."
The words "Thank You" are written above the picture of Jagger, along with a row of Israeli flags across the bottom. A logo and part of a website address for "Our Soldiers Speak" is also visible.
At the time of publication, the post had more than 15,000 likes and 510,000 views, and similar images have appeared on other social media platforms, including and .
Rating: False
A representative for the band confirmed to ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø the quote is fake and the band has no plans to play a concert in Israel.
The band is set to the United States next year, with one stop in Vancouver on July 5.
There was no mention of a tour stop in Israel on either the website for the Rolling Stones or Jagger's personal site.
The only mention of Israel on Jagger's X profile came from a June 2, 2014, ahead of a show on June 4 in Tel Aviv. A search of the band's tour history shows this was its first and only show in the country.
The image with the fake Jagger quote was on Twitter on Jan. 6, 2020, by an account run by Our Soldiers Speak founder .
Our Soldiers Speak was an organization that, among other activities, brought Israeli Defence Forces personnel to other countries to lecture on school campuses and speak to U.S. policymakers. The organization has since changed its name to the .
A Purim prank
The quote originates from a on the Jewish Press, a website based in the United States with news "on Israel, the Jewish People and the world."
The article claimed the band would be playing two concerts, in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, on April 15 and 16, 2013, defying calls to boycott the country.
The original quote says the band will play a concert "on Tuesday," which has been changed in the image shared on social media to "in Israel."
There's little to indicate the story is fake aside from a line at the bottom that says, "This has been a Purim prank." Pulling pranks is customary during the Jewish festival of Purim, including and interviews.
The quote some readers after the article came out, and it on social media without context in 2021.
Sources
The claim can be found on X, formerly Twitter, () and an archived post , as well as Facebook () and Instagram ()
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