MARKS & SPENCER has apologised for any “unintentional hurt caused” by an advertisement out-take in which paper Christmas hats in the colour of the Palestine flag were burned in a fireplace.
The TV advert features Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham and has the slogan: ‘Love Thismas, not Thatmas”.
In the ad, Waddingham is seen shredding paper Christmas hats while actress Zawe Ashton is seen throwing an Elf on the Shelf off her roof.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor is also in the ad, seen burning Christmas cards, while fashion designer and “Queer Eye” star Tan France throws a board game into an aquarium.
Our Clothing & Home Christmas campaign is here! #LoveThismasNotThatmas brings to life some of the realistic truths many of our customers face at Christmas & reminding everyone that it doesn’t matter how you celebrate, just do more of what you love❤️
— M&S News (@MandSnews) November 1, 2023
👉 https://t.co/LNQBLIhFHY pic.twitter.com/oWz4BMsmlD
M&S say the ad campaign is about encouraging people to do “more of what you love” over Christmas and to do away with Christmas traditions you no longer care for.
However, M&S posted an image to its official Instagram account yesterday which showed green, red and silver party hats being burned in a fireplace.
The caption read: “This Christmas, do only what you love… like saying no to paper hats (although, if we’re honest, we’re partial).”
However, many people on social media claimed that the image resembled a Palestinian flag.
In a statement last night on X, formerly Twitter, M&S said that the image was an “out-take image from our Christmas Clothing and Home advert, which was recorded in August”.
A statement from M&S: pic.twitter.com/3tzJKdZbYW
— M&S (@marksandspencer) November 1, 2023
The statement added that the image showed “traditional, festive coloured red, green and silver Christmas paper party hats in a fire grate”.
M&S said its intention was to “playfully show that some people just don’t enjoy wearing paper Christmas hats over the festive season”.
However, the image has since been removed “following feedback” and M&S has apologised for “any unintentional hurt caused”.
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