Nike said it did not ‘tolerate’ any forms ‘of ‘antisemitism’ in reference to dropping Grace Tame from her role [Getty/file photo]
An Australian activist has been dropped by global sportswear company Nike as its ambassador after she had shared a number of pro-Palestinian posts on social media.
Grace Tame, an activist for survivors of sexual assault and a long-distance runner, has used her platform to speak out against Israel’s military onslaught in the Gaza Strip, which has 54,880 Palestinians since 7 October, 2023.
On Monday, the US sportswear brand released a statement saying it contacted Tame’s team, but did not specify the reason.
Later, in a statement given to The Daily Mail Australia, Nike said it “did not does not stand for any form of discrimination, including antisemitism,” but did not clarify over what triggered the decision.
Speculation was also fuelled after the runner removed all reference to the sportswear company on her Instagram profile.
Tame as appointed ambassador in January on a $100,000 deal, where she expressed excitement at re-partnering with the brand after a brief stint four years ago.
On Friday, Nike officially said it had “agreed to part ways” with Tame, who was named Australian of The Year in 2021.
“We wish Grace the best as she continues her running journey,” the brand said.
In March last year, Tame took to social media to express sorrow over the atrocities in Gaza, calling Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territory a “genocide”, like many other global organisations have.
“We’re watching an accelerated genocide unfold before our eyes in Gaza, where innocent women and children account for around 70 per cent of the rising death toll. Many of our so-called leaders with the power and platforms to act are inert, apathetic, or worse, aiding and abetting,” she wrote, in a post decrying injustices faced by women on International Women’s Day 2024.
Tame has also made several call demanding a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza, signing a global petition spearheaded by Oxfam in November 2023.
In May, the runner and activist spoke publicly for the first time on Palestine, where she made a speech during an event organised by the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN).
“Empathy should have no boundaries,” she said at the event.
In the same month, she also took part in a Feminism in the Time of Gaza forum with writer and activist Randa Abdel-Fattah, APAN president Nasser Mashni, and other activists.
This week, Tame also shared a quote from Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist who is currently on board the Freedom Flotilla boat hoping to reach Gaza with aid with an aim to break Israel’s blockade.
In January this year, Tame was the centre of controversy in her home country of Australia after she made a public appearance with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wearing a t-shirt bearing the slogan “F**k Murdoch,” in reference to the media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
In an Instagram caption, took aim at what she described as “dynastically wealthy white supremacist corporate oligarchs ruining our planet, funding genocide and, war and destruction”.
