ALBAWABA - Activists have taken to social media calling to bar Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid from entering Saudi Arabia over an old photo that was described as "insulting" by some Saudis.
The hashtag "نرفض_بيلا_حديد_في_السعودية" (which means: "We_Reject_Bella_Hadid_in_Saudi_Arabia" has been trending on X (formerly Twitter) after the announcement of the presence of the model Bella Hadid in Riyadh, to attend the Hia Hub event for "Hia" magazine.
According to sources, the Hia Hub event, which is the largest fashion, beauty, and lifestyle conference in the region, will take place in Riyadh's dynamic JAX District from 30 October – 3 November 2024.
Ban Bella Hadid from entering Saudi Arabia
News spread that the American-Palestinian, Bella Hadid, is among the international figures who will be invited to the event and that she will reportedly get 2 million Saudi riyals (Over $500,000).
Once the news spread, Saudis remembered an old photo shared by the model on her official Instagram which back-then she fell under fire for posting.
Saudi netizens re-shared pictures and posts that Bella had previously posted on her account, including one showing her foot pointing towards two planes belonging to two airlines, one Arab airline and the other Saudi.
Despite Bella's apology at the time for the photo and her insistence that she did not mean to offend anybody and that she wasn't aware of the planes in the background, it seems that the Saudi people did not accept her apology at all.
Hia Hub removes post about Bella Hadid's visit
Amid controversy over hosting Bella Hadid at the Saudi event, Hia Hub has reportedly removed the post from social media.
Arabica, a social media account that follows celebrity news, revealed that Hia Hub removed the post that talks about Bella Hadid's attendance and reportedly said they declined her visit amid anger.
