British retail giant Marks & Spencer has apologized for ushering in the Christmas season with an Instagram post featuring “festive” holiday hats on fire—hats that critics claimed were a dead ringer for the Palestinian flag. “We have removed the post following feedback and we apologise for any unintentional hurt caused,” M&S said in a statement on X late Wednesday. Hours earlier, the retailer had shared an outtake from one of its TV advertisements showing “traditional, festive coloured red, green and silver Christmas paper hats” in flames in a fireplace. The ad, filmed in August, months before the Israel-Gaza conflict erupted, was meant to “playfully show that some people don’t enjoy wearing paper Christmas hats,” the company said. But some social media users expressed outrage about the “paper hats” bearing a resemblance to the Palestinian flag, claiming the ad was a deliberate show of support for Israel.
