A group of students at McGill University in Canada replaced the names of university buildings with the names of Palestinian villages and towns that were destroyed by Israel in 1948 and given Hebrew names.

A video documented the moments of changing the names of at least 30 buildings on the campus in Montreal, where students placed signs bearing the names of Palestinian villages and towns such as Deir Yassin and northern Gaza
and Khan Yunis.

The Solidarity Movement for Palestinian Human Rights at McGill said in a post on Instagram, "An inspiring wave of student activism swept through McGill University as students changed the names of more than 30 buildings on campus, with each renamed structure now standing as a powerful testament to the Palestinian villages that were erased under colonial settlement."

It added that this action was a protest against the university's complicity and repression regarding the blatant practices of occupation, representing just the beginning, and that we are experiencing a pivotal moment in our struggle against settler colonialism and its violent legacy.

In May 2013, initiated by the Media Center for the Palestinian Community, a campaign titled "What They Didn't Call It" was launched by a group of young men and women from Palestinian citizens of Israel who called themselves "Youth of Memory."

The campaign aimed to remind the new generation of Palestinians of the villages that were displaced in 1948 and to reintroduce their original names after they had been erased and their features obscured and their names Hebraized.

In November 2023, Palestinian and Arab activists launched a campaign on social media platforms titled "What They Didn't Call It," to raise awareness of the original names of Palestinian villages and towns.

In an introductory video for the campaign, young men and women appear with one stating the original name and the other the Hebrew name.

According to the clip, Eilat was originally called "Um al-Rashrash," Tel Aviv was named "Sheikh Muwannis / Jaffa," while Jerusalem, as referred to by Israelis, was originally "Al-Quds," Beersheba was "Be'er Sheva," Netanya was "Um Khalid," Akko was originally "Acre," Kiryat Shmona was originally "Kiryat Shmona," and Sarafand was "Sarafand," while Yizrael was originally "Zar'in."

As for Tsipori, it was called "Safuriya," Ahi'ud was "Al-Birwa," the Shuqaq intersection was "Al-Masmiyah," Askalan was "Ashkelon," and Kiryat Gat was "Iraq al-Manshiyah / Hebron."