Model Bella Hadid responded to the controversy surrounding her recent Adidas campaign, which the sportswear company acknowledged had an “unintentional” link to a violent terrorist attack.
“I am shocked, upset, and disappointed by the insensitivity behind this campaign,” Hadid, who was born in the U.S., expressed in a statement posted to her Instagram story on Monday evening.
The campaign promoted Adidas’ new retro sneakers, the SL72s, inspired by the 1972 Munich Olympics. Released earlier in July, the ad featured Hadid holding a bouquet of flowers while wearing the sneakers, which were originally launched for the Munich Games.
However, the 1972 Munich Olympics are infamous for the tragic events that unfolded in the Olympic Village. On September 5, 1972, the Palestinian group Black September carried out an attack that resulted in the deaths of two Israeli athletes and later, nine more hostages during a failed rescue attempt.
The Adidas campaign quickly faced backlash, with criticism also directed at Hadid, who is of half-Palestinian descent and has been vocal in advocating for Palestinian rights and supporting relief efforts in Gaza. Hadid stated that she was unaware of the campaign’s connection to the 1972 Munich tragedy and would not have participated had she known.
“I would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind,” said the 27-year-old Hadid, who has also served as the face of Dior.
“Before the campaign’s release, I was unaware of the historical connection to the tragic events of 1972. Had I known, I would never have participated.”
“My team should have known, Adidas should have known, and I should have done more research so that I too would have been informed and spoken up,” she added.
On July 19, Adidas issued a statement apologizing for the ad and announced plans to revise the remainder of the campaign.
“We are aware that unintentional connections have been made to tragic historical events, and we apologize for any upset or distress caused,” the company stated.
“We believe in sport as a unifying force worldwide and will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in all our endeavors,” the statement continued. According to The Guardian, social media posts of the ad campaign featuring Hadid have been removed.
Fierce criticism of the campaign came from the Israeli government, whose official account on X objected to Hadid being the “face of their [Adidas’] campaign.” The American Jewish Committee also criticized Adidas’ choice, stating that featuring a “vocal anti-Israel model to recall this dark Olympics is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory.”
The organization did not provide evidence for its claim that Hadid was “anti-Israel.” While Hadid has criticized the actions of the Israeli government, she has also strongly opposed antisemitism and condemned the October 7 attack by Hamas against Israel.
Hadid’s supporters criticized the attacks against her and Adidas’ decision to remove her from the campaign, arguing that associating Hadid with a terrorist attack that occurred 52 years ago solely based on her ethnicity is racist. Many pro-Palestinian activists have called for a boycott of Adidas.
Adidas did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.
According to a report from Euronews, Adidas has updated its apology for the ad to include a mention of Hadid. The revised statement reads, “We also apologize to our partners, Bella Hadid, ASAP Nast, Jules Koundé, and others, for any negative impact on them and we are revising the campaign.”
In her statement on Monday, Hadid said, “While everyone’s intentions were to make something positive and bring people together through art, the collective lack of understanding from all parties undermined the process.”
“I do not believe in hate in any form, including antisemitism. That will never waver, and I stand by that statement to the fullest extent. Connecting the liberation of the Palestinian people to such a tragic attack is something that deeply hurts my heart. I will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism,” she added.
“Antisemitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people.”
