UPDATE
Following the publication of this communique, The Independent has removed the video and included the following at the bottom of its article:
UPDATE: A video that previously appeared on this article was removed when it was drawn to our attention that the video was from 2011 and not 2014.
* * *
The Independent’s article “Israeli border policeman arrested over shooting of Palestinian boy during West Bank protests” reports on the arrest of the border policeman allegedly responsible for an incident that occurred on Palestinian Nakba Day in May of this year.
Included in the piece is a video somewhat provocatively titled “VIDEO: ISRAELIS SHOOT AT PROTESTERS BACK IN MAY.”
What the video doesn’t tell you is that it covers events from a Nakba Day back in May 2011 when incidents included an attempt by hundreds of Palestinians to breach Israel’s border with Syria on the Golan Heights. This only becomes obvious when you see the 2011 date stamp at the end of the video.
It’s unprofessional and lazy journalism to pass off events that are over three years old as recent footage.
In addition, the video itself gives casualty figures way in excess of those that occurred in May 2014, quoting at least 12 dead rather than the two that the article relates to. The video also conveys events taking place on multiple borders, which was not the case in 2014, where protests were limited to a narrower geographical area.
A complaint has been sent to The Independent – watch this space.
