The Chinese shopping giant Shein has been accused of trying to profit on the backs of the Israeli captives held by Hamas by shamelessly offering for sale solidarity tags similar to those sold and distributed by the "Bring them Home Now" campaign with the same inscription for 19 shekels ($5). The solidarity tags that Israelis and many foreigners have worn since the Oct. 7 atrocities look like military dog tags worn by soldiers, and have the inscription "Bring Them Home Now" – the slogan used by the families of the more than 130 captives held by Hamas since the tragic events of that day, during which some 1,200 Israelis were murdered, including many women and children.
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The tags have been used by the families of the captives to raise awareness about the plight of their loved ones in captivity and to generate income for the campaign to free them, and they are sold through the campaign's dedicated URL for 30 shekels ($8). Those sold on the Shein platforms have no connection to the families of the captives headquarters and all proceeds from their sale will go into the pockets of the Chinese retailer.
Dr. Yoav Estreicher from the Meitar law firm, which has been involved in the campaign on behalf of the captives' families and deals with intellectual property issues, told Israel Hayom: "The distribution of the real tag is done through the official channels of the captives' campaign. This is about raising money that goes to serve the purposes that the headquarters was set up to serve, which of course is the release of the captives. In cases where a similar one is sold, this is a cynical and ugly exploitation of distress in an attempt to make a profit from this. They took an item protected by intellectual property rights and exploited it to make money. It's no different from buying a fake Adidas shirt or Nike shoes. In my eyes, it is more serious for Israelis, although in both cases it is a violation of the law."
Video: Families of the hostages camp outside the prime minister's home / Yehonatan Shaul
Dr. Estreicher added: "The reason is that this is money that is supposed to serve and promote important goals, and most of the people if not all, stand behind these goals. In cases where similar tags are sold on various sites, consumers do not know where their money is going. No one guarantees us that Hamas or Hezbollah are not the ones using it to raise money from Israelis. I'm not saying it's happening, but it's an issue to think about. People pay with the understanding and thought that the money is going to the sacred purpose of releasing captives, and in practice, it can reach bad places. There have also been all kinds of local initiatives selling imitations of these discs. We at the headquarters are developing a policy and working to eradicate the phenomenon."
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