Bella Hadid is speaking out for the first time about her controversial Adidas campaign.
If you were unaware, the 27-year-old model starred in a campaign for the relaunch of the brand’s SL72 sneaker, which honored the anniversary of the 1972 Olympics.
However, the Olympic Games that year was the site of a Palestinian terror attack on Israeli competitors. The association sparked controversy, prompting photos to be scrubbed online.
We have a full breakdown of the controversy and Adidas‘ statement to get you up to speed.
On Monday (July 29), Bella took to social media to issue a heartfelt statement apologizing for the campaign, rebuking antisemitism and speaking about her connection to Palestine amid the ongoing war with Israel.
Keep reading to find out more…
Read Bella‘s full statement, which was shared on her Instagram story, below:
“For those of you that do not know my heart, I want to make sure you’re hearing directly from me about my recent campaign with adidas. I would never knowingly engage with any art of 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. 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. As I always have, and always will, speak up for what i believe to be wrong. While everyone’s intentions were to make somethin positive, and bring people together through art, the collective lack of understanding from all parties undermined the process. I do not believe in hate of any form, including antisemitism. That will never waver, and I stand by that statement to the fullest extent.
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 represent who we are. I am a proud Palestinian woman and there is so 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.
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.”
Adidas also issued an apology to Bella and others.
