Nike is facing backlash after an advertisement was displayed Sunday along the route of the London Marathon, one of the world's most prominent long-distance races.
The giant billboard for the American athletic footwear and apparel company, held aloft with a crane, read "Never Again. Until Next Year" in black letters with a red backdrop.
"Never again" is a slogan widely associated with the Holocaust, representing a global pledge to prevent similar atrocities from happening. The ad sparked further outrage because "until next year" evoked vows that Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists made to repeat their attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The ad also appeared three days after Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, known as Yom HaShoah. It was part of a broader Nike campaign aimed at encouraging marathon runners, Ynet News reported Monday.
Other ads in the campaign used the contrast between the pain and satisfaction of running, with slogans such as "Hate every minute, love every mile" and "Running London is hell, but I love every second." A similar sign appeared during last year's marathon that read: "Never Again, see you next year."
"As a Jew living in London, I felt shocked, hurt, and angry to see the use of words in this context, even if no doubt in reference to the temporary pain of running 26 miles," retired British judge Nigel Lithman told the Israeli news outlet Walla, according to The Jerusalem Post.
"'Never Again' is a phrase related to the Holocaust and the murder of 6 million Jews. It is directed as a prayer to the world that it will not allow such a horror to repeat itself. And over the past 18 months, it has been used more than ever, as we mourn the barbaric slaughter of more than 1,000 Israelis and long for the return of hostages kidnapped to the tunnels of Gaza.
"The fact that the phrase is used as a marketing tool for the marathon is very indicative of the way it is treated. In fact, to chant 'never again, until next year' is exactly what Hamas promised: to repeat Oct. 7 over and over again," he said.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote Monday in a post on X that "the billboard at the London Marathon misappropriating 'Never Again' days after Yom HaShoah is painfully thoughtless – in Europe of all places. How was it approved?"
"@ADL is here to help @Nike and it's marketing agencies understand why this is so insensitive," Greenblatt wrote.
Arsen Ostrovsky, a human rights lawyer, CEO of the International Legal Forum, and senior fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security, echoed Greenblatt's sentiment in a post on X.
"Seriously @Nike? You posted this massive billboard in London for the Marathon," he wrote. "I don't believe for a second there was any ill malice, but please understand the concern with using the words 'Never Again,' what they represent and why this was in poor taste."
The billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman also posted on X: "The idea that @Nike would make light of the Holocaust using Hitler-red imagery in a post-October 7th world is stunning. Heads need to roll. WTF Nike?"
"And yes, I assume that this was unintentional, but it is hard to imagine that there was no one at @Nike, on the marketing team, at their advertising firm, banner manufacture etc. who didn't know or who didn't think to Google the words 'Never again,'" Ackman wrote in a follow-up post.
Newsmax has reached out to Nike for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.