According to Sunday’s (July 21) story in The Independent, the German shoe firm was criticized by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) on Thursday (July 18) for using an American model of Palestinian and Dutch ancestry as the face of its new SL72 ad.
Adidas’ “coveted classic” shoe was meant to be revived as part of the promotion to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Olympics.
On Thursday, the AJC claimed on X (previously known as Twitter) that the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich were marred by the murder and kidnapping of 12 Israelis by the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September.
@rihannam1naj
According to the AJC, Adidas’ choice of a vocally anti-Israel model to represent this shadow Olympics was either a huge mistake or meant to stir up controversy.
“None of them are acceptable. We demand that Adidas rectify this grave mistake. In Munich, Germany, on September 5, 1972,
eight Palestinians belonging to the Black September organization stormed the Olympic Village, murdering two Israeli teammates and capturing nine others as captives. The casualties were nine Israeli captives, five Palestinians, and a single German police officer.
The Hadid sisters, Gigi and Bella, are strong advocates for Palestinian rights. Their parents are the real estate developer Mohamed Hadid and the Dutch model Yolanda.
@marvel
Being pro-Palestine does not automatically make one anti-Israel or anti-Semitic, as the Hadids, who are descended from survivors of the 1948 Nakba,
have often emphasized in defending their anti-genocide stance. But as the outcry began, Adidas released a statement saying they would be “revising” the Bella ad.
“According to our sources, [Bella] is upset that the company would launch a campaign linking BH to a tragedy like the 1972 Olympics in Munich, where violence ran counter to the company’s own beliefs,” TMZ stated.
