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Bella and Gigi Hadid‘s father, Mohamed Hadid, allegedly sent a series of racist and homophobic messages to U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres in wake of the developer’s staunch support for Palestine in its ongoing conflict with Israel.
In screenshots obtained by ET, direct messages from Mohamed’s verified Instagram account purport to show the developer calling the Congressman from New York “worse than the rats of the New York sewage system.” The message continues, “[T]hey have bigger brains than you. You might get a job as a bouncer at Gay Bar .. I promise you will never be in congress … slave to whits and make sure you dress as Kkk to hide that ugly gray colored face of yours.”
In another direct message, the luxury real estate developer allegedly slammed Torres as an “unusual Black and colorful mouth for Israeli and AiPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] and looking for pay day of over 500k for the next term. You will get it .. unfortunately.”
Mohamed’s verified Instagram account also commented on Torres’ Jan. 15 Instagram post, in which he’s seen on video delivering a sermon at New York City’s Central Synagogue.
“Sell out. Black out .. he forgot this is not about black and white it’s not about Palestine or the Zionist state .. this is about a great Black man not a little ….kisser to your financial backers. As there will not be a single black person in your community that leaves a nice word about you Mr. Nate .. selling your soul ..”
In a statement to ET, Ritchie claims Mohamed has been flooding him with “racist venom and vitriol” for months now.
“Since October 7th, I have been facing a flood of racist venom and vitriol simply because I express solidarity with both the Jewish people and the Jewish State. I will never capitulate to a racist mob,” Ritchie said. “Most haters hide behind anonymous social media accounts, but Mohamed Hadid is so proud of his hatred for me that he felt no need to shroud his racism in anonymity. Whether it is dehumanizing me as worse than the rats of the NYC sewage system or telling me to dress like the KKK to ‘hide that gray colored face of yours,’ Mr. Hadid has hurled just about every racist insult at me shorting of calling me the N-word.”
The statement continued, “That Mr. Hadid felt so at ease demonizing and dehumanizing a black Member of Congress reveals a tragic truth about our politics: if you are a person of color and pro-Israel, you are fair game for racist invective. Enough with the double standard.”
ET has reached out to Mohamed for comment. The New York Post was first to report on the DMs.
Mohamed has been outspoken about the Israel-Palestine conflict since chaos erupted in the region back in October, when the ruling and Iran-backed Hamas militant group in the Gaza strip launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, resulting in more than 1,000 killed, thousands more injured and hundreds taken hostage.
In response to the attack, the Israeli government retaliated by launching coordinated attacks and bombings in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of more than 11,000 people. The ongoing conflict triggered calls for a cease fire from the United Nations, and protesters all around the world have called out the Israeli government’s attacks for what many have labeled a “genocide” of Palestinian people. The conflict has since escalated with Israel launching a barrage of airstrikes in the heart of Iran.
Gigi, whose family is from Palestine, spoke out in support of Palestine following Israel’s retaliation.
My thoughts are with all those affected by this unjustifiable tragedy and every day that innocent lives are taken by this conflict — too many of which are children,” Gigi wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. “I have deep empathy and heartbreak for the Palestine struggle and life under occupation, it’s a responsibility I hold daily.”
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