Bella Hadid has broken her silence over the recent controversial Adidas campaign by expressing that she is ‘shocked’ in a statement uploaded to her Instagram stories on Monday.
The supermodel, 27 – who recently hired lawyers after her Adidas SL72 campaign was pulled – starred in the retro sneakers campaign but soon faced backlash due to the ad referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics that saw terrorists kill 11 Israelis.
The pro-Palestinian star penned a lengthy message to her followers and began with, ‘For those of you who do not know my heart, I want to make sure you’re hearing directly from me about my recent campaign with adidas.’
Hadid expressed she ‘would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind.’
‘In advance of the campaign’s release, I had no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972. I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign.’
Bella Hadid, 27, has broken her silence over the recent controversial Adidas campaign by expressing that she is ‘shocked’ in a statement uploaded to her Instagram stories on Monday; seen in May in Cannes
The supermodel starred in the retro sneakers campaign but soon faced backlash due to the ad referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics that saw terrorists kill 11 Israelis
Hadid expressed she ‘would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind’
Bella further explained, ‘Had I been made aware, 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 that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up.’
The model added that she ‘will always speak up for what I believe to be wrong. While everyone’s intentions were to make something positive, and bring people together through art, the collective lack of understanding from all parties undermined the process.’
‘I do not believe in hate in any form, including antisemitism,’ Hadid continued, adding, ‘That will never waiver, and I stand by that statement to the fullest extent.’
The media personality also shared that, ‘Connecting the liberation of the Palestinian people to an attack so tragic, is something that hurts my heart.’
‘Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism and this campaign unintentionally highlighted an event that does not present who we are.’
Bella stated that she is a ‘proud Palestinian woman’ and expressed ‘there is much more to our culture than the things that have been equated over the past week.’
‘I will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism. Antisemitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people.’
‘In advance of the campaign’s release, I had no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972. I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign,’ she wrote
‘I do not believe in hate in any form, including antisemitism,’ Hadid continued, adding, ‘That will never waiver, and I stand by that statement to the fullest extent’; seen in May in Cannes
In conclusion, Hadid wrote, ‘I will always stand for peace over violence, any day. Hate has no place here, and I will forever advocate for not only my people, but every person world wide.’
Earlier this month, the supermodel starred in the campaign to promote the relaunch of the Adidas SL72 sneakers released in 1972 – with athletes sporting the shoes during the Olympic games in Munich of that same year.
However, the shoe company received backlash after the campaign released – which prompted Adidas to issue an apology for the ‘completely unintentional’ connection to the ‘tragic historical events.’
And earlier last weekend, it was revealed that Hadid hired a legal team in the wake of her retracted Adidas SL72 sneaker campaign after she was dropped from the ad following backlash, a source familiar with the situation told DailyMail.com.
She has procured legal counsel in the aftermath 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 apologized, insisting it never meant to reference the tragedy and announcing plans to revise the .
A source told TMZ Bella is troubled that Adidas would release a campaign that would connect someone to a tragedy such as the Munich Massacre; and a source also told Us Weekly that ‘violence is not consistent with Bella’s views.’
In conclusion, Hadid wrote, ‘I will always stand for peace over violence, any day. Hate has no place here, and I will forever advocate for not only my people, but every person world wide’
And earlier last weekend, it was revealed that Hadid hired a legal team in the wake of her retracted Adidas SL72 sneaker campaign after she was dropped from the ad following backlash, a source familiar with the situation told DailyMail.com
Eleven Israeli athletes and a German police officer were killed at the 1972 Munich Games after gunmen from Black September broke into the Olympic village and took them hostage.
Hadid, who was born in the US and is the daughter of Palestinian real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, has long been vocal about her support for Palestinian rights.
On July 19, Adidas said it would be ‘revising the remainder of the campaign’ with immediate effect, without specifying how.
‘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,’ the company said in a statement.
The explanation continued: ‘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.’
Pictures of the model wearing the red, retro Adidas footwear prompted an outcry among pro-Israeli groups.
Over the past weekend on Sunday, the Adidas Originals Instagram account posted a statement in reference to the uproar via the app’s Stories feature.
The company apologized to Hadid and several other partners for ‘any negative impact’ they may have incurred.
Hadid, who was born in the US and is the daughter of Palestinian real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, has long been vocal about her support for Palestinian rights
The company apologized to Hadid and several other partners for ‘any negative impact’ they may have incurred
It began: ‘Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign.’
The message went on to say, ‘These connections are not meant 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 we are revising the campaign.’