Adidas has been criticized for its ad campaign featuring Bella Hadid wearing a retro shoe that pays tribute to the 1972 Munich Olympics, an event where 11 Israeli athletes were killed by a Palestinian activist. The ad was released to the public within hours. Hadid is a Palestinian-American supermodel who has been vocally anti-Israeli since the October 7th Massacre.
Adidas claims “they didn’t even know.” This is absurd. The ad celebrates the 52nd anniversary and a sneaker launch of a popular shoe from the 1970s. The 1972 Olympics will be remembered for the brutal murder of Israeli athletes, not the shoes.
It is offensive to pay tribute to the Olympic Games of that year, without honoring their victims. Even worse would be to cast someone who represents and vocally supports the cause of the murderers. This is not a mistake; it is a statement.
Adidas released a statement on Thursday to USA TODAY Sports. “We’re aware that there have been connections made with tragic historical events, though they were completely unintentional. We apologize for any upset and distress caused,” Adidas stated. “We are therefore revising the rest of the campaign. We will continue to promote diversity and equality and we believe that sport is a powerful unifying force in the world.”
Hadid is reportedly now speaking to her lawyers about the options available to her. She claims that she didn’t know what she was doing and has condemned Adidas for highlighting violence in the 1972 Olympics.
Hadid’s claims are hard to believe, given that she has openly supported Palestinian terror, lies, and propaganda.
Hadid had been an activist long before the Oct. 7th massacre, but her Instagram postings afterward have gained increased attention. Take a look at the most popular posts.
- Hadid wrote in November 2023 that Israel is the only country that holds children as war prisoners. She was referring to two teenagers in the West Bank, who were imprisoned for a stabbing attack on strangers which injured a boy aged 13 and a 20-year-old. It is hard to compare that with the Hamas removing children from their homes after they saw their family members and neighbors killed.
- Instagram was forced to add a fact-checker to her April post after she claimed that the pictures were of Gaza.
- In June, she posted on Instagram that Gaza treated its prisoners better than Israel. She also shared a photo of Almog Meir, a hostage, with the claim that his captors had made him a cake for his birthday while in Gaza. Almog reports that he is starved and beaten every day.
There is no way that either side was unaware of the events. Adidas used the current Israel-Hamas conflict to bring up painful memories and to add fuel to the fire. If we take a look at Bella, she may think that the whole thing is a lie.
Companies have the right to freedom of expression. We should still listen to what they have to say about themselves. In the face of a political conflict, most companies remain neutral. Therefore, when a company publicly takes a position, it is important to note. This is deliberate and targeted.
Bella should not claim that her removal was illegal due to her nationality. Her actions and words are what caused it. It’s not her color or her father’s origin, but it would still be offensive for Adidas to use her as the sole nationality of the murderers featured in their campaign.
The Hadids are an enigmatic family who should be grateful to be living in America. They can live a life that is completely different from what they would have had in Gaza. The Hadid family would never be millionaire supermodels. Instead of showing gratitude and understanding, these people have used their freedom and prosperity to declare their sentimental love for their homeland. Hadid’s young American admirers would see Gaza as paradise and Hamas heroes.
Before allowing them to settle here, they must be carefully screened. This ideology is widespread and contradictory to the core of our country. It’s high time we put the soul of America before all else.
