Sports apparel brand Adidas has been caught in a storm after announcing it would “revise” its latest shoe campaign with supermodel Bella Hadid after backlash from pro-Israeli groups, with users describing the move as racist.
The sportswear company apologised for the “upset and distress” it caused for choosing the Palestinian-American model as the face of the SL72s, trainers first designed for the 1972 Olympic games in Munich during which 11 Israeli athletes and a German policeman were killed in an attack by a Palestinian militant group.
After the relaunch of the shoe last week, the Israeli government account on X, as well as pro-Israeli groups, slammed Adidas for hiring Hadid as ambassador for the campaign, connecting the shoe to the deaths of Israelis during the games.
Following the outrage, the sporting company apologised for the “unintentional” link and said it would “revise” the remainder of the campaign.
‘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,” said Adidas in a statement.
“We believe in sport as a unifying force around the world and will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in everything we do.”
In response, many social media users accused the brand of yielding to political pressure and penalising the Palestinian model for crimes she has no relation to.
“Bella Hadid is not a terrorist or in any way related to terrorists simply for being Palestinian. I have never seen such a mainstream brazen firing of someone for their ethnicity,” one user posted.
Photos of Hadid were removed from Adidas’ social accounts, while photos of football player Jules Koundé, rapper A$AP Nast, musician Melissa Bon and model Sabrina Lan, who are also featured in the campaign, all remain, prompting many users to slam the move as “blatant racism”.
Hadid’s picture currently remains on Adidas’ US website for the SL72.
“This hissy fit is actually very revealing because it proves that Israelis just reflexively believe all Palestinians are terrorists,” posted another user.
“Doesn’t matter that Bella Hadid was born 25 years after the 1972 Olympics, she’s responsible for what happened simply because she’s Palestinian.”
Several users called for a boycott of Adidas.
Hadid has spoken out in support of Palestine for years but has been particularly vocal over the past several months as the destruction and death toll in Gaza has dominated headlines.
In a statement in late October, Hadid said on Instagram that she had been dealing with many threats but was not afraid.
“My heart is bleeding with the pain from the trauma I am seeing unfold, as well as the generational trauma of my Palestinian blood.”
