Bella Hadid attends the red carpet of the 77th Cannes Film Festival “L’Amour Ouf” (The Beating Heart) held at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France on May 23, 2024.
Victor Boyko | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Model Bella Hadid releases statement after starring in controversial video Adidas The sportswear company said the event was “unintentionally” linked to the bloody terror attack.
US-born Hadid shared a statement on her Instagram Story on Monday night, saying: “I am shocked, distraught and disappointed in the lack of sensitivity in this campaign.”
The advertising campaign for adidas’ new retro sneakers, the SL72, pays homage to the 1972 Munich Olympics. The ad, which was released in early July, features Hadid wearing the shoes, which originally debuted at the 1972 Munich Olympics while holding a bouquet of flowers.
But that year’s Games are best known for the dark tragedy that occurred in the Munich Olympic Village: On September 5, 1972, a Palestinian group called “Black September” launched an attack that killed two Israeli athletes. The man held hostage later died in a failed rescue attempt.
The backlash to the Adidas campaign was immediate, as were the attacks on Hadid. Hadid said she was unaware of the historical connection to the 1972 Munich Olympics and would not have attended the event if she had known.
“I would never knowingly be involved in any art or work related to any kind of horrific tragedy,” said Hadid, 27, who is also the face of Dior.
“I was unaware of the historical connection to the atrocity of 1972 until the campaign was announced. …Had I known it from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated.”
“My team should know,” she added. “Adidas should know, and I should do more research so I can know, understand, and speak up.”
On July 11, 2024, Bella Hadid appeared in front of an Adidas billboard in downtown New York wearing Adidas SL72 sneakers.
Gotham | GC | Getty Images
On July 19, Adidas issued a statement apologizing for the ad and saying it was “modifying the remainder of the campaign.”
The company said: “We recognize that this is related to tragic historical events – although these were entirely unintentional – and we deeply apologize for any upset or distress caused.”
It added: “We believe sport is a unifying force around the world and will continue to work hard to champion diversity and equality in everything we do.” Social media posts from the ad campaign featuring Hadid were removed, According to the Guardian.
The Israeli government has harshly criticized the movement X official account The American Jewish Committee expressed its opposition to Hadid becoming “the face of their (Adidas) movement,” explain Adidas’ decision to recall these dark Olympics with “an outspoken anti-Israel model is either a huge oversight or deliberately incendiary.”
The group provided no evidence to support the claim that Hadid was “anti-Israel.” Hadid has criticized the actions of the Israeli government while also speaking out against anti-Semitism. She also condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.
Hadid’s supporters have lambasted the attacks on her and Adidas’ decision to withdraw her from the campaign, saying it was racist to link Hadid to the terrorist attacks that occurred 52 years ago simply because of her race. Many pro-Palestinian activists have called for a boycott of Adidas.
Adidas did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
According to Euronews, Adidas has updated its apology for the ad to now mention Hadid. According to Euronews, the company has now released a statement saying: “We also apologize to our partners Bella Hadid, ASAP Nast, Jules Comte and others for any negative impact we have had on them. The activity is being modified.
“While everyone’s intention was to do something positive and bring people together through art, a general lack of understanding on all sides undermined the process,” Hadid said in a statement on Monday.
“I do not believe in hatred of any kind, including anti-Semitism. This will never waver and I fully support this statement. It breaks my heart to link the liberation of the Palestinian people with such a tragic attack.” …. ..I will always support my Palestinian people while continuing to advocate for a world free of anti-Semitism,” she added.
“Anti-Semitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people.”
Correction: This report has been updated to correct details of the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attack.
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