The Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement has dismissed as “empty talk” an apology posted by Adidas over an ad campaign featuring an amputee Israeli soldier, Anadolu reports.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, BDS co-founder Omar Barghouti said: “The fact that Palestine is home to the highest number of child amputees in the world makes this marketing choice even more obscene; it celebrates the very instrument of that suffering.”
The German sportswear brand has faced growing criticism and calls for a boycott after choosing retired Israeli soldier Shalev Biton as the face of its “single shoe service” campaign.
Critics have called the campaign tone-deaf, saying it ignores the large number of Palestinians who have lost limbs as a result of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
“It’s no wonder that an immediate and organic global boycott took off,” said Barghouti, a Palestinian human rights activist and recipient of the 2017 Gandhi Peace Award.
