Bella Hadid was chosen to model in a new campaign by Adidas, but after Israel complained, she was quickly removed from the ad campaign. Now she's firing back.
The 2024 Olympics in Paris are just around the corner. To celebrate, Adidas just released a new Olympic-themed ad campaign for their SL72 trainers. These trainers are a re-imagining of the original SL72 model of trainers that Adidas released in 1972.
The original SL72 release was overshadowed by the Munich massacre, in which eight members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September stormed the Olympic village in Munich and killed two members of the Israeli team. They captured nine other Israeli athletes, who were later killed during a failed rescue attempt.
As Adidas told NBC, they didn't mean to evoke the memory of the Munich massacre with their recent release of the new SL72s. But, after casting Bella Hadid, who has been an outspoken supporter of Palestine, the Israeli state accused Adidas of intentionally highlighting this tragic event.
Since then, Adidas have pulled the ads. And in response, Hadid is seeking legal counsel in an attempt to sue Adidas. According to TMZ, Hadid is currently still under contract with Adidas, but if she goes ahead with suing them, we expect that to change.
Bella Hadid Removed From Adidas Ad Campaign
The official Israeli X / Twitter account called out Adidas for using Hadid as the face of the campaign, stating that "She and her father frequently promote blood libels and antisemitic conspiracies against Jews",
Adidas recently launched a new campaign for their shoes to highlight the 1972 Munich Olympics. Eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics. Guess who the face of their campaign is? Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who has a history of spreading antisemitism and calling for violence against Israelis and Jews.
Soon after the Tweet, Adidas pulled the ads featuring Hadid.
They explained that they are "revising the remainder of the campaign" and that they are "conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events".
Bella Hadid To Sue Adidas
According to TMZ, Hadid is preparing herself for a legal battle with Adidas. She believes that Adidas has not taken enough public accountability for the campaign going downhill and that she has become some sort of scapegoat for the company.
"I had so many companies stop working with me. I had friends that completely dropped me - like even friends that I'd been having dinner with at their home on Friday nights for seven years, like now, just won't let me at their house anymore" Bella Hadid pic.twitter.com/hgkIEUqxbE
— francis (fan) (@bellahadid) July 21, 2024
According to TMZ's sources, she is upset that Adidas would create an advert which would make anyone associate the product to a tragedy like the Munich massacre in 1972. Therefore, Hadid is likely going to sue the German sportswear manufacturer.
Hadid has been quite outspoken against Israel for years and has stated that she will continue to do so. Hadid has lost modeling jobs and friends, as she explained in an interview once, ever since she started speaking out on Palestine.
So, is Adidas right in removing her from their ad campaign? Let us know what you think below.