Bella Hadid, the American model and outspoken supporter of Palestine, is at the centre of a storm after her Adidas advertising campaign was pulled by the sportswear company over Israeli objections.
Advertisements for the shoes, which first debuted during the 1972 Munich Olympics, angered Israel, leading Adidas to drop Bella from its campaign.
What happened? How did supporting Palestine affect the work of these celebrities? Let's take a look.
Bella Hadid steps down from Adidas ads
Adidas has removed an image of Bella promoting its retro SL72 shoes, inspired by the design of the 1972 Munich Olympics. Al Jazeera report.
During the 1972 Games, members of the Palestinian group Black September invaded the Olympic Village and took 11 Israeli athletes hostage.
A shootout that broke out during the rescue operation killed all 11 Israelis, one German police officer and five Palestinian attackers.
Bella, whose father is Palestinian, has previously angered the Israeli government for shouting the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Guardian.
The 27-year-old is a long-time supporter of Palestinians and critic of the Israeli government.
The Israeli embassy in Germany slammed Adidas for choosing Bella as the “face of their campaign” in a statement to X. “Guess who the face of our campaign is? It's Bella Hadid, a Palestinian model who has a history of spreading anti-Semitism and inciting violence against Israelis and Jews,” the embassy wrote on Thursday (July 18).
.Adidas Hat kürzlich eine neue Kampagne für seine Schuhe gestartet, die an die Olympischen Spiele 1972 Munich erinnert.
Israelis will take part as terrorists in the Olympic Games in Munich.
Raten Sie mal, wer das Gesicht der Kampagne… pic.twitter.com/zPDzSdPhib
— Botschaft Israel (@IsraelinGermany) July 18, 2024
The official Israeli account spoke out against Bella's ad, saying “11 Israelis were killed by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics.”
Adidas removed images of Bella promoting the shoes on Friday, and the German sports brand said it would “revise the rest of the campaign” but gave no further details.
“We are aware that connections to a tragic historical event have been made. This was entirely unintentional and we apologise for any offence or distress caused.” AFP The company was quoted as saying.
Adidas has announced that it will continue its SL72 campaign, which also features French soccer player Jules Koundé, American rapper A$AP Nast and Chinese model Sabrina Lan.
This is not the first time the German brand has fired a celebrity ambassador over allegations of anti-Semitism.
In October 2022, Adidas cut ties with rapper Kanye West after he was suspended by Instagram and Twitter (now X) for anti-Semitic posts.
Other celebrities who lost their jobs
Thelma & Louise Actress Susan Sarandon is one of the celebrities who has been called to account for her support of Palestine.
Last year, the Oscar-winning actress was dropped by her talent agency, United Talent Agency (UTA), after speaking out at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York, where she said: “A lot of people are scared to be Jewish right now, and I'm starting to get a taste of what it's like to be a Muslim in a country where there's so much violence.”
Her comments came in the wake of Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on October 7 last year, which left around 1,200 people dead and 100 taken hostage in Gaza. Israel declared war on Hamas, leaving 38,848 people dead and more than 89,000 wounded in the Gaza Strip, and the conflict is still ongoing.
talk NPR In March, Sarandon, a long-time supporter of the Palestinians, said her comments had been taken out of context and that she was “shocked” by her agency's decision.
The veteran actress said that “being isolated from the tribe” is “painful” but she will continue to call for a ceasefire.
Vida Actress Melissa Barrera was punished for an Instagram post calling for a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas. Last November, she scream The creator of the horror film series was accused of re-sharing posts and articles that described Israel as a “colonized land” and likened Israeli military attacks to “genocide and ethnic cleansing.” time magazine.
Produced by Spyglass Media Group scream Film insiders claimed some of her social media posts had been interpreted as anti-Semitic.
“Spyglass' position is clear: we have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism or incitement to hatred in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, distortion of the Holocaust, or anything that clearly crosses the line into hate speech,” a Spyglass representative said. variety at that time.
Varela later condemned “anti-Semitism and Islamophobia” and said he would “continue to speak out for those who need it most.”
according to NewsweekFormer adult film star Mia Khalifa calls Hamas fighters “freedom fighters” Playboy The company terminated her podcast deal, and magic mushroom brand Red Light Holland fired her as an adviser.
Maha Dahir, one of Hollywood's top agents, faced backlash for social media posts including one that read, “What could be more heartbreaking than witnessing genocide? And witnessing the denial that it is happening?”
She was dropped by Creative Arts Agency (CAA) and apologized. variety She “made a mistake.”
according to IndependentDahil's biggest client, Tom Cruise, is thought to have backed his agent and “saved” her from being fired.
Divided Hollywood
Israel's war in Gaza has exposed major rifts within Hollywood, with some supporting the Palestinian cause and others openly declaring their support for Israel.
Last October, Hollywood stars including Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuaron, Selena Gomez, Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, Jennifer Lopez, Lupita Nyong'o, Jenna Ortega, Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Ruffalo were among more than 300 people who signed a letter to US President Joe Biden calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Meanwhile, actors Gal Gadot, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jerry Seinfeld, Mayim Bialik, Chris Pine and Michael Douglas have signed a letter from the Creative Community for Peace (CCFP) in support of Israel.
The letter called on the entertainment industry to “speak out strongly against Hamas, support Israel, refrain from sharing misinformation about the war, and do everything in its power to urge terrorist organizations to return innocent hostages to their families.”
While some stars have been vocal in taking sides in the war, others have been criticized for their silence. Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian and Drake have all been attacked by social media users for not speaking out about the deadly conflict.
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