Bella Hadid says she will always stand for Palestine and against antisemitism following Adidas controversy

After Adidas faced backlash from pro-Israel groups for featuring Bella Hadid in a campaign referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics without acknowledging the 11 Israelis killed by the Palestinian group Black September at the same event, the model has come out with a statement of her own.

In the ad, Hadid was featured wearing shoes inspired by the Adidas’ SL72 sneakers, which debuted in the 1972 Munich Olympics. In a lengthy Instagram story on Monday, the model said she would “never knowingly engage” in work linked to a “horrific tragedy.”

“I want to make sure you’re hearing directly from me about my recent campaign with Adidas,” she wrote. “I 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.”

Hadid assured that she would “never have participated” in the Adidas campaign had she been educated about the attack.

“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,” Hadid wrote. “As I always have, and always will, 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,” she continued. “That will never waiver, and I stand by that statement to the fullest extent.”

Hadid also criticised the association for connecting the “liberation of the Palestinian people” to terrorism. “Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism and this campaign unintentionally highlighted an event that does not represent who we are,” Hadid wrote. “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,” she continued. “I will always stand for peace over violence, any day. Hate has no place here, and I will forever advocate for my people and everyone worldwide.”

Earlier this summer, when the Adidas Originals campaign was unveiled, the American Jewish Committee quickly called the decision “a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory,” describing the decision as unacceptable and calling for Adidas to address the incident.

The company pulled photos from the campaign online and shared an apology in mid-July “for any upset or distress caused” by it. “We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events — though these are completely unintentional — and we apologise for any upset or distress caused,” the statement to USA Today read. “As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign.”

The brand later apologised to Hadid and other partners for any negative impact the controversy has had on their careers. “We made an unintentional mistake. We also apologise to our partners, Bella Hadid, A$AP Nast, Jules Koundé, and others, for any negative impact on them and we are revising the campaign.”