American supermodel Bella Hadid was the face of a campaign by German sportswear brand Adidas to revive shoes from the 1972 Munich Olympics. However, the image was removed after it was deemed “abnormal” and a “gross mistake”.
According to Sky NewsThe SL72 campaign, unveiled Monday, resurrected the “classic” sneaker originally designed for Adidas athletes at the Munich Olympics. It turns out that members of the Palestinian group Black September killed 11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer at the 1972 Olympics.
The criticism comes as the supermodel, whose father is Palestinian, frequently speaks out against the war between Israel and Hamas on social media.
Bella Hadid and her sister Gigi Hadid donated nearly €1 million to humanitarian aid for the Palestinians last month.
Advertisements appearing on Adidas platforms and in billboard The model was shown in Times Square wearing sneakers and holding flowers. The Israeli Foreign Ministry sharply criticized Bella Hadid’s participation in the social media campaign.
The American Jewish Committee also called on Adidas to “correct this egregious error.”
Adidas has removed an advert featuring Bella Hadid and said in statements to NBC Newsthat the brand “recognizes that connections to tragic historical events have been made, although they are entirely intentional.”
“We apologise for any inconvenience or distress caused,” he added.