Moncton billboard hacked to show anti-Israel slogan

A billboard in Moncton was hacked on Wednesday to display “F—k Israel” in huge letters.

The hacked sign, operated by the company Pattison Outdoors, also showed a Palestinian flag and the words “Paid for by MrBeast LLC,” a reference to the popular American YouTube personality.

Drivers heading northbound on Elmwood Drive near the Trans-Canada Highway snapped pictures of the billboard and shared the images widely on social media, provoking outrage and ridicule online.

There were reports of practically identical images in the Chicago, Ill. area Wednesday, with slogans including “F—k Israel” and “Death to Israel,” on several hacked billboards operated by the company Outfront Media. At least one of them also featured the grinning face of MrBeast, whose real name is James Donaldson.

Representatives of the YouTube star didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday afternoon. However, his spokesperson reportedly told an American news outlet that MrBeast had nothing to with the hacked billboards.

The company Pattison Outdoor confirmed in an emailed statement that the Moncton billboard had been hacked, saying it was the sole example out of thousands operated by the Canadian advertising giant.

“On October 16, a malicious hack caused an offensive message to be posted on a PATTISON digital billboard in Moncton,” said Mary Ventresca, VP Marketing, “This act was committed by an outside source and the message was unauthorized.” She said the hack “affected one board out of our 6,000 digital displays.”

Ventresca said the message was taken down “within moments of our operational team being aware and determining the method of the hack.” It’s unclear how long the hacked billboard displayed the message but it had been removed by 10 p.m. when the NB Media Co-op visited the scene.

She called the hack “reprehensible” and said the company is “taking immediate steps to ensure the security of our outdoor advertising, and will be implementing any necessary security enhancements.”

So far nobody has claimed responsibility for the incident. It remains unclear whether it occurred anywhere other than the Chicago area and Moncton, or why hackers would choose a small Atlantic Canadian city and one of the largest cities in the United States. The Codiac Regional RCMP, which polices the Moncton area, told the NB Media Co-op on Thursday evening the billboard had apparently been hacked and they had no suspects.

The incident occurred as Israel continued its deadly strikes on Gaza and expanded its assault on Lebanon. The death toll in the besieged Gaza Strip has reached at least 42,409 since Oct. 7, 2023, according to the territory’s Ministry of Health. That’s when a Hamas-led surprise raid claimed the lives of 1,139 Israelis, while about 250 Israelis and foreigners were taken as hostages, according to Israeli figures.

This story was updated on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, with information from the RCMP. 

David Gordon Koch is a journalist with the NB Media Co-op. This reporting has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada, administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Stations and Users (CACTUS).