Old Video of Man Removing US Flags Falsely Connected to Mamdani’s Election Victory

In a case of online misinformation gaining rapid traction, social media users have been sharing footage of a man removing American flags from a street post with claims connecting it to recent election results in New York. The video, which shows an individual tearing down U.S. flags amid what appears to be crowd approval, has sparked concern among viewers who believed it represented current civil unrest.

The viral video began circulating widely this week on X (formerly Twitter), where one user’s post garnered over 190,000 views. The accompanying message claimed the incident showed Muslims in New York removing American flags following the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor, characterizing it as a consequence of voters attempting to “teach a lesson to Trump.”

“To teach a lesson to Trump, Americans handed over NY to a jihadi. Muslims in New York tear down American flags amid applause from Muslim crowd. Dark times for New York,” read the inflammatory caption, which concluded with a politically charged question aimed at Indian voters.

However, fact-checking efforts reveal the footage is being presented with false context. The incident actually occurred in November 2023, nearly a year before the claimed timeframe, and has no connection to any recent mayoral election results in New York. The video shows pro-Palestinian protesters removing American flags during demonstrations that took place last fall.

The misrepresentation appears deliberate, designed to stoke fears about religious and cultural divisions at a time of heightened political tension. Similar posts with the same misleading framing have appeared across multiple social media accounts, creating an echo chamber that lends artificial credibility to the false narrative.

This type of misinformation demonstrates a concerning pattern of repurposing older footage to fit current political narratives. As social media platforms continue to serve as primary news sources for many users, the rapid spread of such content presents significant challenges for maintaining an informed public discourse.

The original November 2023 protests occurred during a period of intensified Middle East tensions, when demonstrations related to the Israel-Hamas conflict were taking place across major U.S. cities. During these events, some protesters expressed criticism of U.S. foreign policy by targeting American symbols, including flags.

Experts on digital misinformation note that emotionally charged imagery involving national symbols is particularly effective at triggering strong responses, making such content prime material for manipulation. The speed with which the video accumulated views—nearly 200,000 in a short period—illustrates how quickly false information can spread when it aligns with existing political tensions.

Social media platforms have implemented various measures to combat misinformation, including labeling systems and fact-checking partnerships. However, the continued circulation of such content highlights the ongoing challenges in effectively addressing false narratives before they reach large audiences.

The incident also underscores the importance of digital literacy among social media users, particularly the need to verify the timing and context of dramatic footage before accepting accompanying claims at face value.

For those encountering such content, digital literacy experts recommend simple verification steps: searching for original sources, checking dates, investigating whether mainstream news outlets have reported on the purported incident, and being especially cautious of content that elicits strong emotional reactions.

As election seasons progress both in the United States and abroad, experts warn that this form of misleading content—repurposing authentic footage with false contexts—is likely to increase, requiring heightened vigilance from both social media users and platform administrators tasked with maintaining information integrity.