Bella Hadid has broken her silence on Adidas’ recent controversial campaign, expressing her “shocked” feelings in a statement posted to her Instagram stories on Monday.
The 27-year-old supermodel, who recently hired lawyers after her Adidas SL72 campaign was pulled, starred in the retro sneaker campaign but soon faced backlash over the ad’s reference to the 1972 Munich Olympics, where terrorists killed 11 Israelis.
The pro-Palestinian star wrote a lengthy message to his followers and began by saying: “For those who don’t know my heart, I want to make sure you hear directly from me about my recent campaign with adidas.”
Hadid said she would “never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrible tragedy of any kind.”
‘Prior to the launch of the campaign, I was not aware of the historical connection to the heinous events of 1972. I am shocked, upset and disappointed by the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign.’
Bella Hadid, 27, broke her silence on Adidas’ recent controversial campaign by expressing that she is “shocked” in a statement posted to her Instagram stories on Monday; seen in Cannes in May
The supermodel starred in the retro sneaker campaign but soon faced backlash over the ad’s reference to the 1972 Munich Olympics, where terrorists killed 11 Israelis.
Hadid said she would “never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrible tragedy of any kind.”
Bella further explained: “If I had been informed, from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated.”
“My team should have known, adidas should have known and I should have done more research so I could know and understand it as well and be able to speak about it.”
The model added: “I will always speak out about what I believe is wrong. While everyone’s intentions were to do something positive and bring people together through art, the lack of collective understanding from all parties undermined the process.”
“I do not believe in hate in any form, including anti-Semitism,” Hadid continued, adding, “I will never waver from that and I stand by that statement to the fullest.”
The media personality also shared that: “Connecting the liberation of the Palestinian people with such a tragic attack is something that pains my heart.”
‘Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism and this campaign unintentionally highlighted an event that does not reflect who we are.’
Bella said she is a “proud Palestinian woman” and expressed that “there is much more to our culture than the things that have been compared over the past week.”
“I will always stand with my people of Palestine and continue to advocate for a world free of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people.”
“Prior to the launch of the campaign, I was not aware of the historical connection to the heinous events of 1972. I am shocked, upset and disappointed by the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign,” she wrote.
“I don’t believe in hate in any form, including anti-Semitism,” Hadid continued, adding, “That will never waver, and I stand by that statement to the fullest,” as seen in Cannes in May.
In closing, Hadid wrote: “I will always stand up for peace over violence, every single day. Hate has no place here and I will always stand up for not only my people, but all people in the world.”
Earlier this month, the supermodel starred in a campaign to promote the relaunch of the Adidas SL72 sneaker launched in 1972, and the shoes were worn by athletes during the Munich Olympics that same year.
However, the footwear company received backlash after the campaign was launched, prompting Adidas to issue an apology for the “completely unintentional” connection to the “tragic historical events.”
And earlier this weekend, it was revealed that Hadid had hired a legal team in the wake of the retraction of her Adidas SL72 sneaker campaign after she was removed from the ad following backlash, a source familiar with the situation told DailyMail.com.
She has sought legal advice in the wake of the controversy, citing the brand’s lack of accountability for its role in the backlash.
Bella is still under contract with the company and Adidas has apologised, insisting it never intended to reference the tragedy and announcing plans to revise the advert.
A source said TMZ Bella is concerned that Adidas would launch a campaign that connects someone to a tragedy like the Munich Massacre; and a source also told her We weekly that ‘violence is not consistent with Bella’s views’.
In closing, Hadid wrote: “I will always stand up for peace over violence, every single day. Hate has no place here and I will always stand up for not only my people, but all people in the world.”
And earlier this weekend, it was revealed that Hadid had hired a legal team in the wake of her Adidas SL72 sneaker campaign being retracted after she was removed from the ad following backlash, a source familiar with the situation told DailyMail.com.
Eleven Israeli athletes and a German policeman were killed at the 1972 Munich Games after Black September gunmen stormed the Olympic village and took them hostage.
Hadid, who was born in the United States and is the daughter of Palestinian real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, has long expressed support for Palestinian rights.
On July 19, Adidas said it would “review the remainder of the campaign” with immediate effect, without specifying how.
“We are aware that connections have been made to tragic historical events, albeit entirely unintentionally, and we apologize for any upset or distress caused,” the company said in a statement.
The explanation continues: “As a result, we are reviewing 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.”
Images of the model wearing the retro red Adidas shoes sparked outrage among pro-Israel groups.
Over the weekend, on Sunday, Adidas Originals’ Instagram account posted a statement in reference to the uproar via the app’s Stories feature.
The company apologized to Hadid and other partners for “any negative impact” they may have incurred.
Hadid, who was born in the United States and is the daughter of Palestinian real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, has long expressed support for Palestinian rights.
The company apologized to Hadid and several other partners for “any negative impact” they may have incurred.
He began by saying: ‘Connections continue to be made with the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics thanks to our recent SL72 campaign.’
The message went on to say: ‘These connections are not intentional and we apologize for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world.
We made an unintentional mistake.
‘We also apologize to our partners, Bella Hadid, A$AP Nast, Jules Koundé and others, for any negative impact on them and are reviewing the campaign.’
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