Rabat – Following Islamophobic messages from a Zara designer to a Palestinian model, the company has come under fire with people taking to social media to share the #BoycottZara hashtag.
Zara’s Head Designer Vanessa Perilman sent messages to Qaher Hashash, a Palestinian model, lambasting him for sharing information on the situation at home concerning the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Vanessa Perliman a head designer at Zara DM’d a young Palestinian model this racist garbage and when she was called out gave a lukewarm apology before deleting all her social media. I emailed Zara to demand that disciplinary action be taken and this was their dismal response. <a href=”https://t.co/eCJ6FUei2u”>pic.twitter.com/eCJ6FUei2u</a></p>— Nooran A. (@nooranhamdan) <a href=”https://twitter.com/nooranhamdan/status/1403380108023545856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>June 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
“So your point is that you are trying to show the world that Israel is a horrible evil country that does terrible things to Palestinians? Omg I want to vomit,” wrote Perilman in an Instagram direct message to the Palestinian model.
“Maybe if your people were educated then they wouldn’t blow up the hospitals and schools that Israel helped to pay for in Gaza,” the designer continued, adding that “Israelis don’t teach children to hate nor throw stones at soldiers as your people do.”
Hashash shared Perilman’s remarks on Instagram stories, from where they went viral. Netizens have called for an international boycott the Spanish fast-fashion label over its lack of a concrete response to the Islamophobic messages, or any consequences for the designer.
“Absolutely livid with comments of @ZARA head designer Vanessa Perilman against a male model; outright #racism against #Palestinians. Then disgusting attempt by ZARA to downplay it. Definitely #boycottzara forever,” wrote one Twitter user going by the name of Abid Ali.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Update from the Palestinian model <a href=”https://twitter.com/qaherharhash?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@qaherharhash</a> who was harassed by Vanessa…Zara reached out to him. He posted these screenshots. This was Vanessa’s “apology” that he didn’t accept that <a href=”https://twitter.com/ZARA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@ZARA</a> wanted us to be okay with. <a href=”https://twitter.com/ZARA_Care?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@ZARA_Care</a> this is unacceptable. <a href=”https://t.co/qEYaAZA2gh”>pic.twitter.com/qEYaAZA2gh</a></p>— Nooran A. (@nooranhamdan) <a href=”https://twitter.com/nooranhamdan/status/1404062640947728385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>June 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Many commentators also considered Zara’s response inadequate and “lukewarm” at best. While Zara shared that Perilman’s “spontaneous apology was accepted and so the misunderstanding was clarified and closed,” the Palestinian model shared on his Instagram that he will “not stay silent while Zara finds ways to manipulate what actually happened.”
And while Perilman did reach out to Hashash to supposedly apologize, when he published her messages, many pointed out her attempts to defend herself, before offering anything resembling an actual apology. One Twitter user pointed out how it “wasn’t an apology” but rather “a cover to save herself.”
