KFC ad wrongly conflated as mockery of Rafah refugee camp

Claim: Global fast food chain KFC posted an advertisement on social media mocking displaced Palestinian refugees in the Rafah Camp in Southern Gaza, with the tagline, “#NoTentsJustChicken”.

Fact: KFC Antigua posted the advertisement on social media in an attempt to make a humorous post about a local incident. The ad has been misinterpreted as commentary on the Israel-Palestine war. 

Several social media accounts called out KFC — which is already a target of boycott for many protesting against the Israeli invasion of Gaza — for its now-deleted social media post. 

Over the past many weeks, Rafah, a “safe zone” in Gaza, has been the target of Israeli airstrikes. Approximately 1.4 million Palestinians have fled to Rafah since the escalation of violence, living in tents and dire conditions. Therefore, many misleading claims on social media associated the imagery of the tent in KFC’s advertisement with the situation of refugees in Gaza, misconstruing it as a mockery of their displacement. 

Fact or Fiction?

A Google reverse image search shows the thumbnail of the post as well as a Google search for “No tents just chicken”. However, clicking on the link leads to the KFC Antigua Instagram page, confirming that the post was indeed made from the account but has now been deleted. 

KFC Antigua made the post following a local incident involving a missing tent. APUA, the public utility department in Antigua, an island in the Caribbean country of Antigua and Barbuda, called for information about a missing tent on 15 February.

The post became a viral joke in Antigua, with over 250 shares on Facebook alone. Playing on the humour, APUA later also made two posts about the tent on Facebook.

The first post carries a picture of the lost tent, along with the following caption: “Reflecting on cherished memories that once covered us. Now that you’re gone, we are getting lots of shade but not quite like what you used to pitch. #APUA”.

On February 19, APUA made another post:

As the viral joke gained popularity, other companies and organisations also joined in. Antigua Observer made an online post captioned, “We’ve sent our reporters out into the field to seek out any reports of the elusive missing tent. News nah cheap and has a lot of electricity costs. Looking out for you APUA #NoNewsNoTent”.

North Coast Hardware, a hardware company in Antigua, made another post advertising their spray paint with the caption: “Need to ‘throw some shade?’ Think we have them in white and we’re throwing in a can of spray paint. Use your creativity. #letsmakeadeal”

In the same vein, KFC Antigua joined in the joke. However, the post has since been deleted, and KFC has not issued an official public statement of clarification. 

Virality

Misconstrued interpretations of KFC Antigua’s advertisement have been shared widely on social media platforms. A digital magazine account, Kluchit, shared the post on Instagram with the caption, “Yet, bro from DHA cannot give up on Zinger Burger. This is so sad.” The post gained almost 10,000 likes. 

An Arab news outlet, The Node, also reported a misinterpretation of the advertisement with the  headline “#NoTentsJustChicken! KFC mocks displaced Palestinians in Rafah”, albeit containing information about the Antiguan context in the content below. This article was shared widely on social media here, here, and here, adding to the spread of misinformation. 

The misleading claim was shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Conclusion: KFC Antigua did not make a post mocking displaced Palestinian refugees in Rafah. The advertisement was a humorous play on a local incident regarding a missing tent. Claims circulating online which conflate the KFC’s post as a mockery of refugees are strongly misleading.

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