Disney is pushing back on claims it injected pro-Palestinian “subliminal” messaging into a recent Christmas ad, after facing intense backlash on social media.
The shot — which appears for less than two seconds in the less than two minute television spot for the Disney+ streaming platform — shows a watermelon sticker on a teenage girl’s laptop.
The fruit is a long-standing symbol of Palestinian solidarity, as its colors — red, black, white and green — are the same as those of the Palestinian flag. And it has become an internationally recognized symbol since the war in Gaza kicked off.
“Is neutrality in a children spaces just to bring us together, too much to ask?” wrote Israeli writer and activist Hen Mazzig on X.
“Disney doesn’t need to add more tension to an already fractured world.”
British Conservative MP Richard Holden told The Telegraph, “Either they have screwed up royally on quality control or the woke agenda runs so deep they don’t even notice when they’re spreading anti-Jewish propaganda.”
But Disney said there was no messaging behind the sticker.
“The sticker shown in the advert was chosen randomly and is not a political statement,” a spokesperson said, the Times of Israel reported.
The watermelon began being used to symbolize Palestinian resistance after Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza in 1967 and its military banned public flag displays.
It’s regularly been seen in recent pro-Palestinian protests around the world, including an increased affiliation after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.
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