American model of Palestinian descent Bella Hadid responded to Adidas's decision to cancel an advertising campaign featuring her. Hadid stated that she was unaware of the Munich Olympic tragedy and would not have agreed to participate had she known.
Several weeks ago, Bella Hadid became the face of a campaign promoting the new release of the Adidas SL72s retro trainers, first introduced at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The campaign coincided with the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Olympics, where Palestinian terrorists took hostage and killed eleven Israeli athletes. The choice of Hadid as the campaign's face sparked outrage.
"Adidas's choice of an anti-Israel model to commemorate this grim Olympics is either a massive oversight or intentional provocation. Neither is acceptable," the American Jewish Committee stated in response to the campaign's launch. Consequently, Adidas issued an apology and promised to review the campaign. "We understand that the campaign was linked to tragic historical events, though that was not our intention," the company stated.
Adidas removed all images of Bella Hadid from the SL Super Light 72 campaign from its official resources. Rumors surfaced that Hadid planned to sue Adidas.
However, on Monday, July 30, Hadid posted on her Instagram, admitting she "knew nothing about the horrific events of 1972." "I am shocked, upset, and disappointed by the company's insensitivity," she said. "Had I been informed of these circumstances from the beginning, I would never have participated in the campaign." She also stated that she does not believe in hatred in any form, "including antisemitism." "Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism, and this campaign unintentionally reminded people of an event that does not represent who we are," Hadid emphasized. "I am proud to be Palestinian, and our culture is more than what has come up in the past week," she continued. "I will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism. Antisemitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people. I will always stand for peace over violence, any day. Hate has no place here, and I will forever advocate for not only my people, but every person worldwide."
Bella Hadid is the daughter of Palestinian businessman Mohamed Hadid and Dutch actress Yolanda Foster. She regularly posts with the hashtag #FreePalestine, avoiding statements supporting Palestinian terrorist organizations. In the early months of the war in Gaza, Bella and her sister Gigi donated one million dollars to the residents of Gaza.
