This Photograph of Justin Bieber Holding Up an Israeli Flag is Altered

The original image dates back to 2011 and shows Bieber with a Brazilian flag.

Fact-Check: This image is edited to show Bieber with an Israeli flag. 

(Source: Altered by The Quint) 

A photo of Canadian singer Justin Bieber with an Israeli flag is being shared to claim that he is an Israeli supporter amid the war between Israel and Hamas.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is it true?: No, the image is altered.

• The original image dates back to 2011 and shows Justin Bieber with a Brazilian flag.

How did we find out?: We ran a Google reverse image search on the image and came across a photo of Bieber with a Brazilian flag on a Portuguese news website called Globo TV. Their report dated back to 5 October 2011.

• It was uploaded with the headline, "Justin Bieber appears to fans on the balcony of his hotel in Rio de Janeiro."

• We found similarities between the viral image and the image in the news report.

Here is a comparison between the two images. 

(Source: Altered by The Quint) 

• The news report noted that Bieber had appeared on his hotel room's balcony in Rio de Janeiro and waved to fans with a Brazilian flag.

• The artist had a concert in Rio de Janeiro in October 2011.

Justin Bieber's stance on the Israel-Hamas war: Recently, the pop star came under scrutiny when he posted an image of the Gaza strip from 2021 with a caption that read, "Pray for Israel" on his Instagram stories, according to Arab News.

• Following the social media backlash, Bieber took to his Instagram and expressed solidarity with the families "affected by the conflict," reported Arab News.

• According to the Hindustan Times, the artist wrote on his Instagram stories, "To villainise all Palestinians or all Israeli people to me seems wrong. I’m not interested in choosing sides."

Conclusion: It is clear that the photo of Bieber with an Israeli flag is altered. The original photo dates back to 2011 and the artist was seen with a Brazilian flag.

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