Does a viral video of a giant Palestinian flag unfurled from the Leaning Tower of Pisa show Italy's October 2026 protests?
Misleading
The video is authentic footage of activists hanging a very large Palestinian flag from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but it dates to November 17, 2023. Reposting it as if it is part of October 2026 'cost-of-living' protests is misleading and incorrect.
GenuineClaims
✕ 1 falseA 300-ft. Palestinian flag is unfurled from the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
Video footage does show a very large Palestinian-style banner hung from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but the specific size claim ('300-ft') is not confirmed by primary reports; contemporary coverage described a 'maxi' or very large flag without quoting a precise 300-foot measurement.
The video shows the flag being unfurled during the (October 2026) 'cost-of-living' protests in Italy (i.e., it is a recent/pro-2026-protests action).
The footage is from November 17, 2023, when students climbed the Tower and hung a large Palestinian flag; multiple contemporary and later fact-checks and news reports identify the action as occurring in 2023, so reposting it as part of October 2026 protests is incorrect.
What was posted
XDoes a viral video of a giant Palestinian flag unfurled from the Leaning Tower of Pisa show Italy's October 2026 protests?
Who posted it
XAccount check
Estimates from public signals — account age, posting pattern, audience — not a judgement of the person behind the account, and separate from whether this post is true.
What stood out
- Account lacks a display name and bio, which are typically present in genuine profiles.
- No recent posts available, making it difficult to assess content quality or engagement.
- Account is not verified, reducing credibility.
- No additional context or information found through web search.
Account checked October 22, 2026, 02:56 UTC
The media
VideoSynthetic-media detector
Detector ranThe claim stands or falls on whether the media is real, so the detector ran.
Scores are the detector’s estimate for the file as uploaded. A low score does not rule out editing, a spliced caption, or footage shown out of context — those are judged above. Model v3.
Sources
7 sources reviewed- 1Students wave Palestinian flag from Leaning Tower of Pisa ↗
ANSA · ansa.itReputable outletItalian wire — Center
“A group of students waved a Palestinian flag from the Leaning Tower of Pisa on Friday; they lit smoke bombs and the raid lasted a few minutes, ANSA reported on 17 November 2023.”
- 2Blitz pro Palestina sulla Torre di Pisa: danni e querele, “Entrati con la forza” ↗
La Nazione · lanazione.itUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisive
“Local coverage (17 Nov 2023) reported about fifteen students who entered the Tower and displayed a maxi Palestinian flag; the Opera della Primaziale Pisana filed a complaint.”
- 3Palestinian flag hung from Leaning Tower of Pisa ↗
Al Jazeera · aljazeera.comLow reliabilityQatar state-FUNDED w/ editorial independence — bias tag
“Video coverage (Nov 2023) showed activists hanging a huge Palestinian flag from the Tower and lighting smoke flares as part of protests condemning Israeli actions in Gaza.”
- 4Fact Check: Video Of Palestinian Flag at Tower of Pisa Does Not Show October 2026 Italian Protests -- It's From 2023 ↗
Lead Stories · leadstories.comPrimary / fact-checkerIFCN; strong on viral/AI media
“A recent viral post reuses footage from November 2023; Lead Stories documents the originals and shows the 2023 date, concluding the clip is not from October 2026 protests.”
- 5Video de bandera palestina en Torre de Pisa es de 2023 ↗
EcuadorChequea · ecuadorchequea.comUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisive
“Fact-check in Spanish: the video circulated in 2026 is actually from 17 November 2023, with sources including ANSA and local outlets.”
- 6Video de bandera palestina en la Torre de Pisa es difundido engañosamente como actual, pero data de noviembre de 2023 ↗
LaRepublica (Verificador) · larepublica.peUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisive
“Verification: the clip is from November 2023 and not part of the October 2026 demonstrations; local Italian reporting is cited.”
- 7Fact-check — Factnameh ↗
Factnameh · factnameh.comUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisive
The full story
Bias
Leans pro-Palestinian / anti-mainstream-framing. Caption frames the footage as proof that mainstream outlets are mislabelling 2026 protests, pushing a narrative that reuses older pro-Palestine footage to discredit contemporary coverage.
Bias describes how the post frames its message — the slant of the language, selection and emphasis — and is judged separately from whether the claim is true. A true claim can still be framed with a strong slant.
How we checked
1 min 6 sThe video is authentic footage of activists hanging a very large Palestinian flag from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but it dates to November 17, 2023. Reposting it as if it is part of October 2026 'cost-of-living' protests is misleading and incorrect.
- The footage matches multiple reports from November 17, 2023 showing students unfurling a large Palestinian flag from the Tower of Pisa.
- Contemporary reputable sources (ANSA, Al Jazeera, La Nazione, Sky News) and local social posts document the 2023 incident.
- Recent social posts that present the clip as evidence of October 2026 protests are reusing older footage out of context.
- The specific '300-ft' size claim is unverified in primary reports and should be treated as an unconfirmed exaggeration.
- Earliest known appearance of this media: 2023-11-17 (reported by ANSA, local Italian outlets and shared by the student collective's social accounts on that date).
✓ Claim checked✓ Media checked✓ Sources checked
Why 86% confidence
HighHigh confidence from independent corroboration.
About this check
- Platform
- X
- Posted by
- @theseed59788459
- Posted
- October 18, 2026
- Age when checked
- Older post, still live
- Where it spread
- Italy
- Audience
- International audience
- Language
- EN
- Status
- ● Post is live
- Verified
- October 22, 2026, 03:02 UTC
- Published
- October 22, 2026, 03:02 UTC
Reach. 2,749 likes (syndication, 22 Oct); fact-checked by Lead Stories (20 Oct), Mimikama (21 Oct), La República Verificador (19 Oct); Yemeni Saba agency ran it as new on 18 Oct
This verdict was generated with AI from the sources shown. AI can make mistakes — check the sources before relying on it.
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