Zara removes controversial ad campaign from website after Gaza boycott calls

SHAH ALAM - Spanish multinational retail clothing chain Zara has taken down its controversial ad campaign from its website after pro-Palestine activists called for a boycott of its brand.

An international news outlet reported that Inditex, the company that owned Zara claimed that the photos for the ad were taken in September before the Hamas fighters' operation on Oct 7 which was followed by Israeli forces' relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The company also claimed that taking down the ad from the webite was part of a normal process of refreshing its content.

Zara's latest ad campaign stirred outrage due to its uncanny resemblance to the destruction in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians were killed and thousands wounded.

The ad showed mannequins without limbs and statues covered in a white shroud.

The brand's post on the ad campaign on its social media platform was flooded with comments featuring many Palestinian flags in the comment section and the trending hashtag '#BoycottZara'.

This was not the first time that Zara faced calls for boycott by supporters of Palestine.

Last year, it was reported that Palestinians have posted videos of them burning clothes from Zara and urged others not to support the brand after a Zara franchise owner in Israel hosted an event for an ultra-right-wing Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir in his home.

Ben-Gvir defended Zara on social media saying, "Zara, cool clothes, cool Israelis."

On Dec 10, it was reported that about 18,000 Palestinians have been killed and 49,500 wounded in Israeli attacks since Oct 7.