Jewish and pro-Israel Twitter—Jwitter, as it is commonly referred to—was up in arms on Thursday over a new campaign by Adidas they claim is tone-deaf at best and antisemitic at worst.
Adidas announced a new campaign on Thursday featuring sneakers initially designed by the sports clothing brand for the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany.
The face of the campaign is Bella Hadid, a Palestinian-American model who is vocally anti-Israel and has spread antisemitic rhetoric on social media alongside her sister, Gigi, and her father, Mohamed.
During the 1972 Olympics, eight members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September infiltrated the Olympic Village, killed two members of the Israeli Olympic team, and took nine others hostage. Those nine were later killed.
Since then, it has been known as the Munich massacre and has been inherently tied to the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Adidas has since apologized, telling The Washington Times, “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.”
They are, as a result, amending the campaign with the understanding that this connection has been made.
“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,” Adidas spokesperson Stefan Pursche told the Times.
Immense online backlash
The backlash online was immense. “Eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics,” the official Israel account on X (formerly Twitter) said. “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.”
.@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… pic.twitter.com/IgdGq2OLmd
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) July 18, 2024
“Bella Hadid, the person supporting Hamas terrorists who committed a massacre in Israel just 9 months ago,” wrote Yoseph Haddad, an Arab-Israeli advocate for Israel. “Simply unbelievable, a hypocritical and disgusting campaign!”
Adidas decided to pay tribute to the shoes that were first launched at the Munich Olympics in 1972... the same Olympic games during which 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by Palestinian terrorists in a massacre- and who was hired to model these shoes?! Bella Hadid, the person… pic.twitter.com/3kErztyDO2
— יוסף חדאד - Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) July 18, 2024
Oren Barsky, a popular pro-Israel social media user and investment advisor, wrote, “I'm sorry, WHAT???”
I'm sorry, WHAT???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. pic.twitter.com/6dRRrgcwwY
— Oren Barsky ️ (@orenbarsky) July 18, 2024
He wrote, “It's as if they sent their brand managers to a special course in insensitivity.”
Dr. Eli David, a famous entrepreneur and influencer, simply shared a screenshot of the Wikipedia page for Adolf Dassler, the founder of Adidas, who was a member of the Nazi party.
.@adidas, old habits die hard#BoycottAdidas pic.twitter.com/imUmRWdAbV
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) July 18, 2024
“Old habits die hard,” he wrote.
“This is not a mistake, it’s by design,” wrote Hen Mazzig, a UK-based pro-Israel influencer. “@Adidas, are you threatening Jews?”
This is not a mistake, it’s by design.A Palestinian model, notorious for spreading blood libel and vile hate speech against Jews, is now referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics, where Palestinian terrorists slaughtered Israeli athletes.@Adidas, are you threatening Jews? pic.twitter.com/1E2NKEdxlg
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) July 18, 2024