AAP FACTCHECK – The UN Security Council’s minute of silence for deceased Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi was interrupted by the Israeli ambassador brandishing a sign calling him the “Butcher of Iran”, according to a claim that’s gone viral.
But the claim is false. The picture of the ambassador, Gilad Erdan, has been altered from footage of an earlier protest at the UN General Assembly, in September 2023.
Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash on May 20, 2024.
He was known as the Butcher of Tehran for his role as a prosecuting judge in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in the 1980s.
On May 21, the UN Security Council (UNSC) held a minute’s silence to mark his death.
YouTube footage of the meeting shows there was no protest.
Facebook users, however, are claiming that during the minute’s silence, Erdan held up a sign that read “The Butcher of Iran will not be missed”.
One post is captioned: “The Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan let his and Israel’s feelings known at the United Nations this afternoon, when the security council decided to stand and give a one minute silence for the death of Raisi.”
Erdan did criticise the UNSC’s gesture in a later video statement, reportedly asking: “What’s next? A minute of silence on the anniversary of Hitler’s death?”
But the image used in the posts is a still taken from footage at the UN General Assembly last September, during which Erdan protested while the Iranian president made his speech.
For that protest, Erdan held up a sign headlined “Iranian women deserve freedom now!”
It featured a photo of Jina Mahsa Amini, who died in the custody of Iran’s morality police in September 2022.
Altered video of the protest has been shared across social media following Raisi’s death, including on X (formerly Twitter).
The online video has been fact-checked by organisations including AFP Fact Check.
The Verdict
The claim that Israel’s UN ambassador held up a sign reading “The Butcher of Iran will not be missed” during a minute’s silence for Ebrahim Raisi is false.
An image of the ambassador has been altered from footage of an earlier protest at the UN General Assembly, in September 2023.
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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