Disney+’s Christmas commercial has sparked public controversy and allegations of hidden pro-Palestinian messaging. The ad depicts a girl who grew up on Disney films and later shares her love of them with her daughter while they watch the service together.
During the clip the character is seen opening and closing a laptop that displays two stickers, one of Mickey Mouse and the other of a watermelon. The watermelon sticker provoked criticism because it has been used for years as a symbol of support for Palestinians, due to its colors matching the Palestinian flag.
Since the start of the fighting in Gaza the watermelon has become an even more common symbol among supporters of the Palestinians worldwide. Several viewers claimed that its appearance in the Disney+ ad was not accidental, but a covert attempt to convey a political message.
Richard Holden, the Conservative British MP, told The Telegraph, "Disney may have some serious questions to answer here: 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."
Lord Pickles, the former UK special envoy for post-Holocaust issues, said: "I am prepared to believe that Disney put this sticker in its advert at random but once that random choice had been made, surely, out of all the thousands of people Disney employs, someone could have pointed out that it was a deeply controversial thing to do, and given Disney's appalling record of trying to push a social standard down people's throats for years."
"This is more than unfortunate and it wouldn't take much to replace it with something else, like Donald Duck perhaps."
In response, Disney+ spokespeople said the sticker shown in the advertisement was chosen at random and is not a political statement.