Yesterday, I exposed a palestinian propaganda campaign in which an ad agency was employed and fake images of Gaza created. It turns out those behind it were Federación Palestina de Chile (the Federation of Palestinians in Chile).
According to their website (auto-translated):
In the framework of the commemoration of the 71 years of the Nakba, the Community of Chileans of Palestinian origin launched a campaign called “Humans in Danger of Extinction”, with the aim of informing and raising awareness about the current situation of the Palestinian People.
This morning the Plaza de Armas de Santiago dawned with a particular exhibition on Palestine that caught the attention of those who passed through this iconic meeting place in the capital. Three gigantographies plus the replica of the apartheid wall – which has become the most visible manifestation of the Israeli military occupation – are part of the urban intervention that the Palestinian Community of Chile raised and which aims to sensitize Chilean society and the international community on the harsh reality facing the Palestinian People.
“The last 71 years have occupied more than 90% of the territory of Palestine by force. And today, stripped of their lands, their people are in danger of disappearing,” is the text that accompanies the three campaign photos. ” Humans in Danger of Extinction “, mounted with the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago in the background.
“It is a very strong message, as strong and unfair as what happens in Palestine. These images seek to make visible, sensitize and put on the table what is happening in the heart of a people in constant danger of extinction since 1948, the year in which 700,000 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes and since then have lived under an Israeli military occupation that deprives them of liberty, dignity, and other basic rights that every human being deserves to have, “says Nadia Garib, director of the Palestinian Community in Chile. “Today, living in Palestine is resisting,” he adds.
The campaign, created by renowned Chilean publicist Andrés Díaz, seeks to make a parallel between the growing trend of support for various causes and the demand of the Palestinian People. “Most of us support a cause. Saving the planet, rescuing animals, or simply taking the side of a minority. But what happens when the cause makes us uncomfortable, but does not touch us directly? What happens when it is an issue full of prejudice? “, explains Díaz, who hopes that these images will generate conversation through education.
The photos are accompanied by the replica of the so-called “apartheid wall”, a concrete wall that is actually 723km long and up to 8 meters high, the purpose of which is to include densely populated Israeli settlements. In 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague declared the building wall by Israel illegal.
Note how the campaign was more elaborate than I imagined; the images were not merely created for online use but as billboards/giant posters displayed in public places. This might mean it was extremely expensive.
The campaign’s creator Andrés Díaz, who was listed as creative director, seems to be very pro-palestinian himself. Did he do this purely out of ideology without taking money? He does not seem to work for the ad agency VMLY&R responsible for this, so perhaps they and some others involved took money, and this cost a pretty penny regardless.
Assuming it did cost a lot, who paid for it? Were the funds provided by wealthy Chile-based palestinians and supporters, or perhaps even the PA, who operate the “palestinian” embassy in Chile? Or perhaps even Hamas?
Note also the goals of the campaign were “informing and raising awareness about the current situation of the Palestinian People” and “to sensitize Chilean society and the international community on the harsh reality facing the Palestinian People.” It speaks volumes that this so-called “current situation” and “harsh reality” necessitates fakery and deception.
Not very current or real after all.
