No, video does not show actor Jason Statham putting up Palestinian flag on his car

By: Iryna Hnatiuk
November 7 2023

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Screenshots of social media posts claiming the man in the viral video is Jason Statham. (Source: TikTok/Facebook/Screenshots)

Context

A video of a man (archived here) arranging a Palestinian flag on the hood of his car and putting up a fish-net keffiyeh—which has become the symbol of Palestinian identity over the years— on the side mirrors is circulating online with the claim that the man is English actor Jason Statham. The video comes in the wake of several pro-Palestinian demonstrations being held across the globe calling for a ceasefire and condemning civilian deaths amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. 

The video has been shared on TikTok (archived here) with the caption, “Jason Statham put a Palestinian flag on his car.” 

However, the man in the video is not Jason Statham, who is known for his roles in movies like ‘Lock, Stock, and ‘Two Smoking Barrels.’ The video is actually of a pro-Palestinian rally participant from Columbus, Ohio. 

In Fact

A TikTok video, uploaded on October 21, shared the same visuals as the viral video. This October 21 video is of better resolution and clearly shows that the man in question is not Jason Statham. 

Another TikTok video, shared on October 27, shows a similar car with a keffiyeh wrapped around a side mirror and a Palestinian flag on its hood. The video also carries a photograph of a man and the text that reads, “He’s not Jason Statham.” Logically Facts was able to geolocate this video and discovered that it was taken near a shopping center in Columbus, Ohio. Geolocation of the viral video and the October 21 TikTok video also took us to a carwash in Columbus, Ohio.  

On October 21, initiated by a student organization, a pro-Palestinian rally was held in Columbus, Ohio. The rally was covered by Ohio-based news outlet WBNS 10TV and in its video report uploaded on YouTube we could spot a car very similar to the one seen in the viral video. The report, however, made no mention of Statham attending the rally, 

In a report published on November 4, French news outlet 20 Minutes identified the man in question as 32-year-old Laith Yosef Bane Khalid. The report titled “Hamas-Israel War: “I’m sad for the Palestinian children”… We spoke to the man mistaken for Jason Statham (translated from French)” carried photos of the car with the Palestinian flag and its owner Khalid. Khalid, a resident of Columbus, Ohio, confirmed to 20 Minutes that it was him on the video arranging a Palestinian flag on his car. 

We have reached out to Laith Yosef Bane Khalid and will update this fact-check with a confirmation from him. 

In the meantime, Jason Statham has not made any public statements regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas war so far. We have contacted his representatives and will publish their response if and when we get one.

The verdict

The man in the video, filmed in Columbus, Ohio, is not Jason Statham. He is a local resident who participated in a pro-Palestinian rally. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false