Bella Hadid apologizes for Adidas SL 72 campaign linked to Munich Olympics

On Jul 30, 2024

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Supermodel Bella Hadid apologized Monday for participating in an ad campaign for Adidas that was criticized by Israel, telling her more than 61 million followers she “would never have participated” if she had done more research.

Hadid had appeared in ads to promote the sportswear brand’s rerelease of its classic SL 72 sneaker, which first debuted to coincide with the 1972 Munich Olympics. Those Games were targeted by Palestinian attackers, resulting in the deaths of 11 Israelis and a German police officer.

The Israeli government’s X account slammed the brand for using Hadid, whose father is Palestinian and is an outspoken pro-Palestinian advocate, in the ads. In response, Adidas said it would revise the campaign.

In a statement posted to Instagram, Hadid said she was not aware of the shoe’s history. “I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign,” she said. Photos of the ads before the criticism show her and other models posing with flowers while wearing the Adidas shoes.

The furor was the latest example of a brand caught up in the heightened rhetoric around the conflict in the Middle East. Starbucks, Disney and McDonald’s are among the companies that have faced criticism. McDonald’s bought back its Israeli franchise in April after a global boycott was called in response to restaurants there offering free meals to soldiers.

“Connecting the liberation of the Palestinian people to an attack so tragic, is something that hurts my heart,” Hadid’s statement said, referring to the 1972 Munich attack. “Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism and this campaign unintentionally highlighted an event that does not represent who we are.”

“I will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism,” she added.

In its statement, also posted to Instagram, Adidas said it had “not meant” to make connections to the 1972 tragedy. It apologized to the celebrities photographed in the campaign and to “communities around the world.”

“We made an unintentional mistake,” the German brand added.

On Sept. 5, 1972, eight militants from the Black September group stormed the Olympic Village dorms in West Germany, demanding the release of more than 200 political prisoners. The militants killed two Israelis and took nine Israeli hostages, who were later killed.

Hadid and her sister Gigi, who are American with Dutch and Palestinian heritage, are two of the best-known of today’s supermodels. Both have been criticized by Israel at various times.

Hadid has previously made headlines for her pro-Palestinian statements, including wearing a dress that referenced the kaffiyeh, a Palestinian scarf, during the Cannes Film Festival this year; clashing online with Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir over restricting Palestinians’ movement in the West Bank last August; and attending pro-Palestinian rights protests since at least 2017.