Multiple accounts on the social media platform X were sharing a video since May 5, 2026, claiming to show Hollywood actor Jason Statham displaying a Palestinian flag on his car. However, the clip is old from 2023 and does not feature Statham.

Public figures, including actors, musicians, and athletes, have repeatedly used their platforms to comment on the war in Gaza since late 2023. Several celebrities have expressed solidarity with Palestinians by calling for ceasefires, humanitarian aid access, and protection of civilians, while others have voiced support for Israel or focused on condemning violence more broadly. These positions have often been communicated through social media posts, open letters, fundraising campaigns, concerts, and appearances at public events. 

HOW IT STARTED

On May 5, 2026, an X user, who appears to be based in Turkiye per their profile and previous posts, shared a video of an individual displaying a Palestinian flag on his car, with the following caption: “Famous actor Jason Statham hung a Palestinian flag on his car.”

The post, which racked up 2.5 million views, also included a photo of Statham.

A similar post, including the clip and the actor’s photograph, was shared by another X account with the same caption. It garnered 176,700 views.

An X user, who calls themselves a journalist in the bio, also shared the video with a similar caption, gathering 90,600 views.

Subsequently, several other social media users shared the video on Instagram and X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here; collectively accumulating more than 90,000 views. 

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in celebrities expressing solidarity with Palestinians.

A keyword search was conducted to corroborate whether any credible international media outlets had reported on such a video of Statham; however, it did not yield any results.

Similarly, no such video was found on any of Statham’s official social media accounts, including Instagram and Facebook.

A reverse image search yielded a TikTok post dated October 21, 2023, wherein the same video was shared with the caption: “He made sure to wash his car first.” It was accompanied by several pro-Palestinian hashtags.

As can be seen, the video is old, and the caption suggests that the individual in the clip is preparing for a pro-Palestinian rally by washing his car first.

The results further identified the location in the clip as Moo Moo Express Car Wash, which is situated on Rome Road in Ohio, US.

When the team conducted a keyword search, it yielded several news reports regarding a pro-Palestine rally in Downtown Ohio on October 22, 2023. They featured cars at the rally that were similar to the one in the viral clip, displaying Palestinian flags on their bonnets.

The search results also found news reports by several media outlets from October 2023 — including Turkish and Pakistani social media outlets, such as Anadolu Agency, Türkiye Gazetesi, and TGRT Haber — in which they had debunked the claim that the viral clip showed Statham or his car.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video of Hollywood actor Jason Statham displaying a Palestinian flag on his car is false.

The footage is old and shows a pro-Palestinian demonstrator preparing for a rally in Columbus, Ohio.

This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.