We came across a post on X with a quote attributed to Mick Jagger, from the famous rock band The Rolling Stones claiming that the band will be performing in Israel. In their replies to the X post, many users voiced their support for the band and the alleged concert in Israel.
However, the post comes as a surprise considering the worsening Israel-Hamas conflict, prompting us to investigate the claim further.
Stones Tour 2024 – Hackney Diamonds
The Rolling Stones released their latest album called “Hackney Diamonds” in October 2023, their first new album since 2005.
In support of their newest album, the band announced their 2024 North American Tour in November 2023, where they will be performing in 16 cities across the United States (U.S.) and Canada. The concert dates which span from April 2024 to July 2024 can be found on the band’s official website.
Image credit: The Rolling Stones, Instagram
Notably, there are no announcements on the band’s official website or their social media accounts about any concerts in Israel. Additionally, a representative from The Rolling Stones has confirmed that the band will not be performing in Israel in 2024, amidst claims of a potential concert in Israel circulating.
Slammed, smacked and twittered
The quote attributed to Mick Jagger appears to have originated from a 2013 spoof article by the Jewish Press titled “Defying Boycotts, Jagger, Stones, to Honor Israel’s 65th Birthday”. The Jewish Press is a U.S.-basedJewish newspaper that focuses on “breaking news and in-depth articles on Israel, the Jewish People and the world”.
The article states that The Rolling Stones will be performing a concert in Jerusalem, Israel on 15 April 2013 after facing criticisms from those who are anti-Israel. However, the article ends with the phrase, “[t]his has been a Purim prank…”, indicating that the contents of the article might not be true.
Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the survival of Jews who were marked for death by Persian rulers in the 5th century BCE.
There were no records by other news sources of the quote attributed to Mick Jagger. Additionally, a representative from the Rolling Stones also verified that the quote was not genuine but fabricated.
Hence, it is false that The Rolling Stones will be performing in Israel as part of their upcoming tour in 2024.
Taking sides
While we might not be certain of the intentions behind social media users sharing the alleged quote by Mick Jagger, sharing such false information while the Israel-Hamas conflict is intensifying suggests an aim to polarise social media users based on their support or lack thereof towards Israel.
Social media users who express support for narratives that align with those that misinformation and disinformation spreaders intend to push could then be further targeted by bad actors to further their cause.
Hence, while conflicts might naturally divide people based on their views and beliefs of what is wrong and what is right, it is important to look at the information that is circulating objectively and to verify it against credible sources to ascertain if it is true or false.
