Video shows Robert De Niro rehearsing for a Netflix series, not yelling at anti-Israel protesters

CLAIM: Actor Robert De Niro was captured on video yelling at anti-Israel protesters in New York City.

AP'S ASSESSMENT: False. De Niro was rehearsing a scene for his upcoming Netflix series "Zero Day" while the production was filming on a street in New York City, a Netflix spokesperson told The Associated Press. His comments are part of the script and had nothing to do with the Israel-Hamas war or protests around it.

THE FACTS: As police crack down on college protests across the country, social media users are misrepresenting the video of De Niro, claiming that it shows him expressing support for Israel.

One prominent version of the video is labeled, "Robert De Niro Stands with Israel!" It shows the two-time Oscar winner speaking passionately in a crowd of people.

"This is not a movie," he says. "This is not a movie, this is real."

He tells the crowd that they need to listen and let people get their jobs done. He encourages people to offer their support, but to stay behind barricades.

"You wanna keep talking nonsense then you gotta go home," he says. He later adds: "They say they're going to do it again! Again! We don't want that."

A caption added to the video makes it seem as though the "it" he is referring to is the deadly Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel that sparked the current conflict. "They say they are going to do it again! (October 7)," it reads.

One X post that shared the erroneously captioned video states: "I'd like to thank the #ProHamas terrorist sympathizers for getting on everyone's last nerve. Robert De Niro agrees and with his usual 'flair' admonishes them that they are marching for more #October7massacres and to 'Go home!'"

The footage was also misrepresented in posts that suggested the video was shot at the University of California, Los Angeles, where "physical altercations" occurred between dueling factions of protesters this week. Posts referred to the alleged demonstrators as "anti-Israel" and "pro-Palestinian."

But De Niro was not admonishing protesters, nor was he talking about real events. The actor was rehearsing a scene for "Zero Day," an upcoming Netflix series in which he is starring. The series is described as a "conspiracy thriller."

"This is a rehearsal for a scene for a Netflix series that was shot on Saturday, April 27," the streaming company told the AP, referring to the video spreading online. "It was part of a production."

Netflix further confirmed that De Niro's speech was from the show's script and unrelated to the demonstrations around the Israel-Hamas war. The company added that while production cameras weren't rolling when the video was shot, filming did take place that day in New York.

A subway entrance can be clearly seen in the background of the video with a sign featuring a telephone number that has a New York area code.

Stan Rosenfield, a spokesperson for De Niro, called the social media claims "false" and confirmed that the video shows a scene from "Zero Day."

Actor Jesse Plemons, who is starring alongside De Niro as his character's assistant, can be seen standing behind De Niro in the video.

Protests over the Israel-Hamas war have emerged on many college campuses after being inspired by demonstrators at Columbia University. Police have arrested hundreds nationwide since mid-April.

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This is part of the AP's effort to address widely shared false and misleading information that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.