Global sportswear and footwear brand Adidas is facing a boycott campaign over pulling pro-Palestine supermodel Bella Hadid from a campaign that triggered backlash in Israel.
Adidas announced on Friday withdrawing Hadid from its advertising campaign for the SL72 trainers.
Hadid is half-Palestinian and has long been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause. The model faced criticism from Israelis after images of her promoting the retro sneakers – originally launched in conjunction with the 1972 Munich Olympics – surfaced.
Israelis say that including Hadid in the campaign is offensive given the historical context of the Munich Games. In 1972, members of the Palestinian Black September group took Israeli athletes hostage, resulting in the deaths of 11 Israelis and a German police officer.
The German company issued an apology saying that it would “revise” the campaign, citing unintended associations with the tragic events of the 1972 Olympics.
Earlier today, the hashtag #BoycottAdidas went viral on X, with social media users condemning Adidas for siding with Israel despite its ongoing war on Gaza. The hashtag has been posted over 67,000 times on the platform as of Sunday afternoon.
“I stand with Bella Hadid #BellaHadid. Bella Hadid Stands With Palestine & for Humanity. Adidas bows to Israeli Zionists & genocide,” one X user wrote.
I stand with Bella Hadid #BellaHadid
Bella Hadid Stands With Palestine & for Humanity ❣️
Adidas bows to Israeli Zionists & genocide#Palestine #Israel #TelAviv #Gaza #genocide #BoycottAdidas pic.twitter.com/GtkmCVrtol pic.twitter.com/GXfKpDAqWk— Jerry Hicks (@JerryHicksUnite) July 21, 2024
Social media users showed support for the model, sharing videos of her marching in pro-Palestine protests waving the Palestinian flag, and wearing the iconic Kufiya scarf.
“Boycott adidas !!!!! Justice for Bella Hadid. Justice for Palestine. Down with Dior and adidas,” another X user wrote.
Boycott adidas !!!!!
Justice for Bella Hadid.
Justice for Palestine
Down with Dior and adidas ✅ #Gaza #BelaHaddid #BoycottAdidas #BoycottDior #Gaza_in_Genocide #CrimesAgainstHumanity #Palestine pic.twitter.com/7XVjDSfX1J
— Mamadou (@akeem525) July 21, 2024
Hadid, whose father is Palestinian property mogul Mohamed Anwar Hadid, has been actively involved in humanitarian efforts for Gaza since the start of the war.
Earlier this year, she and her sister Gigi donated $1 million to support Palestinian relief amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
This is not the first time Bella Hadid and her family have received backlash for supporting Palestine. At the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, the model and her family received death threats, prompting Bella’s father to consider going to the FBI.