Sportwear giant Adidas is under fire from the pro-Israel crowd after unveiling a collaboration with Bella Hadid bringing back a reimagined version of the sneaker first released for the 1972 Munich Olympics.
“First released for the 1972 Munich Olympics, the adidas SL 72 shoes have been reimagined for modern wear,” Adidas’ website boasts.
During those games, Palestinians affiliated with the militant group Black September attacked Israel’s Olympic team, taking eight hostages. In total, 11 Israeli coaches and athletes died as well as one police officer.
That fact, combined with Adidas choosing a Palestinian model for the campaign, brought about loads of backlash.
“I’m sorry, WHAT???” commented one X user. “Did Adidas choose a Palestinian to model a shoe symbolizing the 1972 Munich Olympics, where 11 Israeli athletes were massacred by a Palestinian terrorist organization? It’s as if they sent their brand managers to a special course in insensitivity.”
Hadid previously drew the ire of some pro-Israel advocates for her support of the Free Palestine movement. Most of the criticism went toward her sister, Gigi Hadid, who has been comparably more outspoken against Israel in the wake of Oct. 7.
Bella Hadid, for her part, broke her silence in late October, saying she “weep[s] alongside mothers who have lost their children and the children who cry alone” while also extending her condolences to those impacted by Hamas’ attack. She also said she received hundreds of death threats and was doxxed over her support of Palestine.
The Adidas campaign drew immediate backlash, as users recalled that the company’s founder was a card-carrying member of the Nazi Party.
“So Adidas picks a Palestinian woman to celebrate the year Palestinians slaughtered Jews at the Olympics. You really can never hide your true Nazi colors, can you?” one person said.
“Still haven’t let go of your Nazi roots,” echoed someone else.
“This is not a mistake, it’s by design,” blasted another prominent pro-Israel user, who later added: “Adidas, are you threatening Jews?”
He added in a separate post: “Adidas: Founded by Nazi Adolf Dassler. Kept working with Kanye for years despite his antisemitism. Now doing a campaign with Bella Hadid, who shared pro-Hamas propaganda to her 61M followers. Some things never change…”
In response to the campaign, one person said she decided to throw out her Adidas shoes. Others similarly began deploying the hashtag #BoycottAdidas.
“First Kanye and now another Antisemite to celebrate the Munich Massacre?” one user said, referencing the rapper’s antisemitic remarks that prompted the brand to drop him. “You hate Jews and learned nothing. Here’s a tip: you could showcase an ATHLETE since you’re an athletic brand. This disgusting choice was blatant and obvious and we will #BoycottAdidas”
“Boycotting is the right thing to do ASAP,” concluded someone else.
Update 3:00pm CT: In a statement to the Daily Dot, Adidas said it was “revising” the campaign after seeing the “upset and distress” it caused.
“The Adidas Originals SL72 campaign unites a broad range of partners to celebrate our lightweight running shoe, designed more than 50 years ago and worn in sport and culture around the world. We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events—though these are completely unintentional—and we apologize for any upset or distress caused. As a result we are revising the remainder of the campaign. We believe in sport as a unifying force around the world and will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in everything we do,” the brand said.
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