2021 video of Christmas tree on fire goes viral with misleading claims

The viral video is not recent, it is from December 2021. It has no link to pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

A video of a large Christmas tree being set on fire outside the Fox News headquarters in New York has recently gone viral on social media with the claim that it was set on fire by pro-Palestine activists. This comes amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine.

The caption of the post states, “Biden failed America PRO PALESTINIAN DEMONSTRATORS SET CHRISTMAS TREE ON FIRE OUTSIDE OF FOX NEWS HQ IN NEW YORK”.

Let’s check the truth

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Fact Check-

We started the investigation with a reverse image search on Google and the

results led us to several articles and videos matching the footage to the fire destroying the 50-foot tree outside the headquarters of Fox News near Rockefeller Center on 8 December, 2021.

USA Today

According to Reuters, New York police arrested a man on suspicion that he had set on fire a 50-foot-tall Christmas tree outside the Fox News headquarters in midtown Manhattan on 8 December 2021.Fox News security personnel called police shortly after midnight when they saw a man climbing the tree located at Sixth Avenue and 48th Street, police said. When officers arrived on the scene they saw a man, identified as Craig Tamanaha, 49, running from the tree and arrested him. He faces several charges, including arson, trespassing and disorderly conduct.

The blaze garnered considerable media coverage at the time including on Fox News itself. Police told local media they had arrested a homeless man with prior criminal offenses.

The viral video was originally shared in December 2021 by media outlets such as The Washington Post, Business Insider, and NBC News. 

NBC News

Although the video was real, it was not taken this year. It had nothing to do with pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found that the claim made along with the viral video to be Misleading. The viral video is not recent, it is from December 2021. It has no link to pro-Palestinian demonstrators.