Palestinian supporters protest over 'insensitive' ad at Sandton Zara store

A group of pro-Palestinian supporters protested at the Zara clothing store in Sandton City on Saturday over what they called its “insensitive” marketing campaign.

Zara International recently received criticism worldwide for its new campaign promoting its latest clothing collection. The campaign features a model standing in the middle of rubble surrounded by mannequins covered in white cloth or with missing limbs.

The visuals in the campaign are similar to scenes of those killed and affected by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Several protesters gathered inside and outside the store holding flags, calling for ethical and responsible marketing practices while many yelled “Free Palestine”.

Many were dressed in black in sympathy with those killed in Gaza.

The group said the protest highlighted the insensitivity of the company's marketing campaign and the potential it has in minimising the plight of Palestinians.

They called for the immediate withdrawal of the controversial marketing images.

“We will continue to monitor Zara’s response and actions. Further measures will be contemplated to ensure that companies like Zara adhere to ethical and sensitive marketing practices,” said Sandton resident Fatima Mohamed.

“We are determined to make our voices heard as we stand together to ‘reject Israeli war glamour’.”

The protesters urged Zara to rather pledge support for the victims of the Gaza conflict and to engage with communities affected by the war.

Zara withdrew the campaign five days ago, saying it had heeded comments and “regrets the misunderstanding and reaffirm our deep respect towards everyone”.

A Sandton City representative said security was present at the demonstration on Saturday and the store was trading as usual on Sunday.

TimesLIVE