The German apparel company Adidas has dropped supermodel Bella Hadid from an advertising campaign that drew criticism from Israel over its reference to the 1972 Munich Olympics.
The campaign was for the retro SL72 shoe, inspired by a design from the 1972 event, where the Palestinian Black September group took Israeli athletes hostage.
The German sports brand said on Friday that it would be “revising the remainder of the campaign” with immediate effect.
“We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events – though these are completely unintentional – and we apologize for any upset or distress caused,” the company said in a statement sent to the news agency Agence France Presse.
Sacking Bella Hadid because she’s Palestinian equates all acts committed by those with shared nationality.
In essence, this makes every person on earth culpable, since no nation exists without criminal entities.
This is peak racism @adidas. Welcome to the boycott list. pic.twitter.com/sZYISqKfW3
— Tiberius (@ecomarxi) July 19, 2024
Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, has repeatedly made public remarks criticizing the Israeli government and supporting Palestinians over the years.
On October 23, she posted a statement on Instagram lamenting the loss of lives in Gaza while calling on followers to pressure their leaders to protect civilians in the war-torn Palestinian Strip.
Hadid has taken part in several pro-Palestinian demonstrations during the war and has described Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed over 38,000 Palestinians, as a “genocide”.
The Israeli embassy in Germany criticized the choice of Hadid and a spokeswoman from Adidas confirmed that Hadid had been removed from the campaign.
“Guess who the face of the campaign is? Bella Hadid, a model with Palestinian roots who has spread anti-Semitism in the past and incited violence against Israelis and Jews,” the Israeli embassy in Germany wrote on X on Thursday.
Many social media users, however, expressed support for Hadid, criticized Adidas for axing the model and called for a boycott of the company.
Adidas said it would continue the SL72 campaign with other famous faces, including footballer Jules Kounde, singer Melissa Bon and model Sabrina Lan.
“I’m not afraid to lose modeling jobs & I will continue to speak up on Palestine” @adidas you will not silence Bella or the supporters of Palestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/CTMF1Zt2oJ
— َ (@bellalooks) July 18, 2024
Ongoing Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 38,848 Palestinians have been killed, and 89,459 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
GAZA LIVE BLOG: Israel Bombs Yemen | Widespread Massacres throughout Gaza – Day 288
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
She doesn’t need them, she’ll still be amazing without them.
Fuck adidas.