PARIS: A statement by Zara’s head designer, Vanessa Perilman, in which she called Palestine supporters ‘ignorant’ and ‘violent’ has caused an uproar on social media, with people calling to boycott the brand.
The Palestinian cause has been receiving a massive amount of attention globally the past while. The Israeli aggression against unarmed Palestinian civilians and destruction of different installations, including media houses, in Gaza was widely condemned.
Recently, a Muslim male model, Qaher, called Israel an ‘evil’ country in an Instagram Post. The matter escalated with a response from Zara’s officials, and people are quite disappointed, to say the least.
Zara’s head designer Vanessa Perilman, in a reply to model Qaher, said he was lying. She said that she as a Jew, will survive the attacks on social media. Vanessa went on criticized the male model, claiming that all Palestine supporters are ignorant and violent. She said being a model and a Muslim simultaneously are contradictory.
Immediately after this post, people started sending complaints to Zara regarding this ‘racist’, and ‘Islamophobic’ statement by their head designer. The social media users launched a boycott campaign against Zara for its designer’s anti-Palestine remarks.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Zara announced that an internal investigation was initiated to address the problem properly. Zara’s email states that Vanessa and Qaher contacted each other through Instagram, and that Vanessa apologized. Furthermore, they stressed that Zara is a diverse company that does not tolerate discrimination.
Earlier, an Israeli fashion designer has used the Palestinian keffiyeh to create a range of dresses and miniskirts for her latest collection. Some Arabs, including Palestinians, have denounced this as a shameful appropriation of the scarf, which has become a symbol of Palestinian opposition to Israel.
