Adidas is facing boycott calls over a campaign featuring former Israeli soldier and amputee Shalev Biton.
Biton lost his left leg in May 2021 while serving in the IDF’s Nahal Brigade during Operation Guardian of the Walls.
He recently partnered with Adidas to promote the sports brand’s in-store “single shoe” service campaign, which is designed to help make footwear more accessible to those living with a limb difference.
The service offers qualifying customers the option of purchasing only their required shoe at 50% of the listed price, rather than having to purchase both shoes.
The campaign posters were only used within Israel
Ten other disabled athletes joined Biton for the series of advertisements for Adidas Israel. The posters were not used outside of Israel.
However, over the last few days, anti-Israel figures – especially Spanish actor Javier Bardem – noticed Biton’s involvement and amplified it on social media, resulting in mass calls for a boycott.
Many falsely claimed that Biton was a soldier during the current Gaza war.
Project Unite Humanity released a cartoon saying, "Gaza has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world. Adidas chose an IOF soldier."
Other activist accounts have posted graphics encouraging people to throw their Adidas shoes in the trash, and some activists have shared videos of them throwing away their running shoes.
Major pro-Palestine advocacy accounts such as Europe Palestine Network and The Times of Palestine then released a joint statement titled “Adidas partners with criminals, ignores victims.”
“Adidas featured former Israeli soldier Shalev Biton. Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians have suffered amputations during Israel’s genocide, including 10-year-old Rateb Abu Qleiq. An Israeli air strike killed his mother and brother and cost him his right leg. With proper prosthetics unavailable, he fashioned one from a plastic sewage pipe.
“Adidas made an Israeli soldier the face of inclusion while Gaza’s child amputees remain largely unseen,” it said.
Responding to the campaign against him, Biton said he has “been hit by an absolutely insane wave of hatred and reports from all over the world” amounting to tens of thousands of social media posts, videos and messages.
“Some of the biggest pro-Palestinian pages in the world, with millions of followers and millions of likes and shares, have been posting about me again and again, and the abuse and reports just don’t stop.”
He asked his supporters to share his page, invite people to come and follow, and help him strengthen this space.
“There are millions over there. I want to feel that you’re here with me,” he said.
Biton did not respond to The Jerusalem Post's request for comment.