WEST HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com) — A local artist and photographer is furious after he says ISIS terrorists hijacked his work and are now using it as propaganda to recruit new members.
Photographs by Brian McCarty feature toy characters in real-life situations and can be found in books and museums throughout the world.
But the West Hollywood man says a photo he created of Cinderella in a war zone has been hijacked by ISIS and now depicts an ISIS flag in place of the toy.
“It is a slap in the face. It is outrageous. It is painful,” said McCarty.
McCarty says he recently made the discovery after an online program that monitors stolen images alerted him the terror group had posted the altered photo on social media and used it as propaganda for nearly a year.
“It was a message about, you know, ‘No matter what, the Caliphate would survive. That even if war destroys everything, they’ll still be here,’ ” McCarty said of the photo-shopped image.
Ironically, McCarty says his photograph was meant to promote peace. It’s one of many featured in his book, “War Toys,” and was inspired by the drawing of a young girl in Gaza.
“To have that particular photo turned into a piece of propaganda is just … I can’t possibly express how upsetting it is to see that,” he said.
McCarty says, as soon as he made the discovery, he contacted Twitter which then removed the photo.
It’s unclear how ISIS got the image.
