Calls to boycott emerge in Israel after Adidas campaign
After an Adidas advertising campaign in Israel featuring former Israel Defense Forces serviceman and athlete with an amputation Shalev Biton, calls to boycott the brand appeared on social media. The campaign promotes a service selling a single shoe for people who need footwear for only one foot, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Sale of a single shoe
Customers who meet the program’s criteria can purchase the single shoe they need for 50% of the listed price of a pair. Ten other athletes with disabilities joined Biton in the Adidas Israel advertising series. The campaign posters were used only in Israel.
Biton lost his left leg in May 2021 while serving in the Nahal Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces during Operation Guardian of the Walls. According to the publication, social media posts about his participation in the advertisement, including by Spanish actor Javier Bardem, were followed by calls to stop buying Adidas products.
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Reaction on social media
Some pro-Palestinian activist accounts posted images calling on people to throw away Adidas shoes, as well as videos of people throwing away running sneakers. Europe Palestine Network and The Times of Palestine issued a joint statement criticizing the choice of Biton for the campaign and mentioning Palestinian children with amputations in Gaza.
The Jerusalem Post notes that many posts falsely claimed that Biton was a serviceman during the current war in Gaza. Biton himself said he had faced a wave of hatred that, according to him, included tens of thousands of posts, videos, and messages from different countries. He asked supporters to support his social media page.
