Marrakech – German sportswear giant Adidas has come under fire after dropping Palestinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid from an advertising campaign for its SL72 sneakers, which were first launched during the 1972 Munich Olympics.
The decision came after the Israeli government criticized the choice of Hadid, citing her vocal support for the Palestinian cause.
During the Olympics, 11 Israeli athletes were killed along with a policeman.
Adidas had recently relaunched the SL72 shoes as part of a series reviving classic trainers.
However, images of Hadid wearing the shoes prompted backlash from Israel’s official account on X (formerly Twitter), which accused her of “spreading antisemitism” and “inciting violence” against Israelis.
In response to the criticism, Adidas apologized and announced that it would be “revising the remainder of the campaign” with immediate effect.
The company stated, “We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events — though these are completely unintentional — and we apologise for any upset or distress caused.”
Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, has been a vocal supporter of Palestinians affected by the ongoing massacres launched by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on civilians in Gaza since October 7. She has described Israel’s massacres, which have killed at least 38,900 Palestinians, as a “genocide.”
In an Instagram post in May, she expressed devastation against the merciless campaigns and criticized the lack of empathy from the international community.
Last month, Hadid and her sister Gigi donated $1 million to support Palestinian relief efforts.
The decision to drop Hadid from the campaign has sparked outrage among her supporters, with many calling for a boycott of Adidas.
Social media users have taken to platforms like X using the hashtag #BoycottAdidas to express their discontent.
One user wrote, “Bella Hadid is Palestinian. Adidas is punishing her for denouncing the extermination of her people. Another brand to boycott.”
Another user commented, “Bella Hadid, your humanity lost a brand but you gained double the love and support. It’s time to give Adidas the Starbucks treatment.”
The model is reportedly considering legal action against the company for what her team sees as a lack of public accountability.
On Friday last week, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) identified Israel’s presence in occupied Palestine as unlawful.
The court called on Israel to cease all new settlement activities and evacuate all settlers from the occupied territories, emphasizing the need to end the policy of impunity that has allowed Israel to deny Palestinians’ right to self-determination and perpetrate policies of apartheid, persecution, and genocide.
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