Bella Hadid has broken her silence after sporting giant Adidas dropped her under pressure from pro-Israel groups. The controversy started when Adidas featured Hadid in a campaign about the 1972 Munich Olympics but did not mention the 11 Israelis killed by the Palestinian group Black September at the same event.
Hadid was wearing shoes inspired by Adidas’ SL72 sneakers, first released during the 1972 Munich Olympics. On Instagram, Hadid explained that she did not know about the tragic events linked to the Olympics when she agreed to the campaign. She said she would never knowingly take part in something connected to a tragedy.
In her statement, Hadid said, “I want you to hear directly from me about my recent campaign with Adidas. I would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy. Before the campaign was released, I did not know about the connection to the events in 1972. I am shocked, upset, and disappointed by the lack of sensitivity in this campaign.”
Hadid made it clear that she would not have participated if she had known about the attack. She criticized herself, her team, and Adidas for not being aware of the historical context. She emphasized that she always speaks up against what she believes is wrong.
Hadid also addressed the issue of antisemitism. “I do not believe in hate in any form, including antisemitism. I stand by this fully,” she said. She criticized linking the “liberation of the Palestinian people” to terrorism, saying it misrepresents Palestinians. Hadid declared her pride in being Palestinian and emphasized that there is more to their culture than recent negative associations.
She stated, “I will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism. Antisemitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people. I will always stand for peace over violence. Hate has no place here, and I will always advocate for my people and everyone worldwide.”
Earlier in the summer, when the Adidas campaign was launched, the American Jewish Committee called the decision a “massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory.” Adidas pulled the campaign photos and apologized in mid-July for any upset caused, stating that the connections to tragic historical events were unintentional. That did not stop pro-Palestine people from staging a boycott of the brand.
Adidas later apologized to Hadid and other partners involved, saying, “We made an unintentional mistake. We apologize to our partners, Bella Hadid, A$AP Nast, Jules Koundé, and others, for any negative impact and are revising the campaign.”
