Bella Hadid calls for a 'Free Palestine' in viral Instagram post

Palestinian American model Bella Hadid voiced support for Palestine with a post on her Instagram page this weekend, gaining applause from fans.

The 23-year-old American, whose father was born in Palestine in 1948, posted an image of a banner reading "It's Free Palestine til' Palestine is free - Bella Hadid" on her social media profile.

"A Palestinian girl on the cover of Vogue. The joy it brings me to say that….I won’t stop talking about the systematic oppression, pain and humility that Palestinians face on a regular basis. With only love in my heart and an open mind to educate myself and learn more every day…. No matter what. I Love You," a caption with the image read.

Her remarks were met with admiration from her nearly 45 million followers, who called her a "queen" and thanked her for "standing for what's right".

She has been reportedly censored by the social media giant in the past for expressing support for Palestine.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Bella 🦋 (@bellahadid)

Last year, on Instagram she shared a photograph of her father's expired American passport, which showed his place of birth as Palestine.

"My baba and his birthplace of Palestine," she wrote.

bella hadid just ended Instagram and we love to see! pic.twitter.com/tzOrWR8PnG

— mors (@bizzzlesavery) July 7, 2020

Her father and his family "were taken out of their homes in Palestine in 1948, becoming refugees in Syria, then Lebanon, then Tunisia", she said.

Hadid said the post was taken down, as it allegedly breached Instagram's company guidelines.

Instagram apologised to Hadid, who then reshared the same photograph with text saying: "I am proud to be Palestinian".

She then called on her followers to share the heritage of their parents.

Hadid, the son of Palestinian businessman Mohammad Hadid, has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause.

In May, Hadid was seen in videos on social media marching with thousands of people at the demonstration in Bay Ridge, New York, to protest Israeli aggression on Gaza.

Content moderation on the part of social media giants has been under scrutiny. Fans responded to the deleted post with anger, saying it was an example of pro-Palestine content being removed by social media platforms.