Marks & Spencer has apologized after an outtake from its newly released Christmas advert was criticized for showing burning paper hats resembling the Palestinian flag. The British retailer shared an image from its Christmas clothing and home advert on Instagram depicting red, silver, and green paper hats tossed into a burning fireplace.
It was accompanied by the caption: “This Christmas, do what you love… like saying no to paper hats” with the hashtag #LoveThismasNotThatmas – the supermarket’s slogan for this festive season.
The theme of its Christmas advert was to encourage people to focus on enjoying themselves rather than conform to festive traditions they don’t like.
However, some social media users suggested the hats’ colors reflected those of the Palestinian flag amid the escalating Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East.
The company, one of the best-known names in British business, apologized for “any unintentional hurt caused” after sharing the image. M&S later deleted the Instagram post, posting a statement on X (formerly Twitter) saying,
The ad features frivolous scenes of blowtorching Christmas cards, whacking a toy elf with a baseball bat, and shredding silver hats. It stars some famous names including singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Marvel actress Zawe Ashton, and Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham.
Global companies are trying to avoid getting entangled in conflict between Israel and Hamas as the fighting has prompted a rise in religious hate crimes. McDonald’s franchises in some Muslim countries distanced themselves from a move by the company’s Israeli restaurants last month to give free meals to the Israeli military.
