Image shows defaced Freedom Bell in DC, not Liberty Bell | Fact check

The claim: Image shows Liberty Bell defaced by protesters

A July 24 Instagram post ( direct link , archive link ) shows an image of a large bell bearing pro-Palestinan graffiti.

"ENOUGH…..The Liberty Bell?" begins the post's caption, going on to ask Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, "How do you let this happen?"

Another version of the claim received more than 3,000 likes before it was corrected. Other versions were shared widely on Facebook and on X, formerly Twitter .

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Our rating: False

That’s not the Liberty Bell. It's the Freedom Bell – a replica of the Liberty Bell – in Washington, D.C. There is no credible evidence of harm to the original bell in Philadelphia.

Video shows Freedom Bell in DC, not Liberty Bell

Pro-Palestinian protesters converged in Washington to oppose a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to push for spending cuts for Israel’s war in Gaza. Capitol Police used pepper spray on demonstrators , and protesters outside Union Station burned at least one U.S. flag and raised Palestinian ones on July 24.

But the claim in the Instagram post is false. The bell shown in the image is the Freedom Bell – a replica of the Liberty Bell, not the original. There is no credible evidence that protesters damaged the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia in any way.

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The "Free Gaza" graffiti on the image in the Instagram post matches video of the defaced bell posted to Facebook by Israeli influencer Hananya Naftali . Other media outlets reporting on the protest identified Union Station and the Columbus Fountain as the protest locations and noted the bell is a replica . The scene of the protest does not match the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia , where the bell has been on display since 2003 .

While the Freedom Bell bears a strong resemblance to the original – including a shared inscription – there are some key differences. It is a 2-to-1 scale replica of the Liberty Bell. And while the original dates to the 1750s , the bell in Washington was installed at Union Station in 1981 .

USA TODAY has previously debunked false claims that Harvard University raised the Palestinian flag , that an image shows protesters blocking Jewish people from entering Columbia University and that a “ rape is resistance” flyer was distributed at a separate Columbia protest.

USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram user who shared the claim but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

• Hananya Naftali, July 25, Facebook video
• National Bell Festival, accessed July 25, The Freedom Bell
• The Washington Post, July 24, U.S. flag set ablaze, 23 arrested as thousands protest Netanyahu’s D.C. visit
• NBC News, July 24, Hostages' relatives detained at Capitol during Netanyahu visit as demonstrators outside are pepper-sprayed
• Google Maps, accessed July 25, Washington, District of Columbia
• National Park Service, Sept. 4, 2023, Liberty Bell Center
• Visit Philadelphia, accessed July 25, The Liberty Bell Center
• Philadelphia Visitor Center, accessed July 25, Liberty Bell Center

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Image shows defaced Freedom Bell in DC, not Liberty Bell | Fact check