Disney+ has found itself at the centre of a political storm after critics spotted what they claim is a pro-Palestine symbol in the streaming service's festive advertising campaign.
The controversy centres on a watermelon sticker prominently displayed on a laptop used by a teenage character in the Christmas advert, titled A Lifetime of Stories and produced by London agency VCCP.
Watermelon imagery has long served as a stand-in for the Palestinian flag, with its matching red, green, black and white colours making it a widely recognised symbol of solidarity with Palestinians.
A Disney+ spokesperson maintained that the decoration was selected without any political intent, saying: "The sticker shown in the advert was chosen randomly and is not a political statement."
The watermelon, which is associated with the pro-Palestine movement, can be seen in multiple shots
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Conservative MP Richard Holden, who is a supporter of Conservative Friends of Israel, has called on the entertainment giant to explain the inclusion of the imagery.
"Disney have some serious questions to answer here: either they have screwed up royally on quality control or the woke agenda runs so deep they don't even notice when they're spreading anti-Jewish propaganda," he said.
The politician's intervention reflects growing frustration among some parliamentarians over what they perceive as the company's failure to recognise politically charged symbolism in its content.
His comments frame the incident as part of a broader pattern of ideological messaging from the media conglomerate, suggesting the watermelon's appearance was either a significant oversight or evidence of embedded political bias within the organisation.
The advert depicts a young girl growing up watching Disney, and passing the love down to her own children
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Lord Pickles, who previously served as the UK's special envoy for post-Holocaust issues, also offered a critical assessment of the situation.
"I am prepared to believe that Disney put this sticker in its advert at random but once that random choice had been made, surely, out of all the thousands of people Disney employs, someone could have pointed out that it was a deeply controversial thing to do.
"And given Disney's appalling record of trying to push a social standard down people's throats for years," he added.
The former Cabinet minister suggested the company could easily have avoided the controversy by substituting the watermelon with less contentious imagery.
"This is more than unfortunate, and it wouldn't take much to replace it with something else, like Donald Duck, perhaps," Lord Pickles contested.
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Once again, the watermelon sticker is on display
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Viewers of the advert weighed in on the debate across social media.
One user wrote on X: “‘Chosen randomly’. That is an extremely cowardly response. Shame on them." Another added: “Weird how people who like cartoons which tell you everyone is equal, would support Palestine!”
Others rejected the idea that the sticker was an intentional political statement. One person commented: “Or… get this… it’s just a watermelon.”
Another user said people were “up in arms over a f****** fruit, grow up.”
The watermelon's association with Palestinian identity dates back to the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, when Israel prohibited public displays of the Palestinian flag.
Palestinians adopted the fruit as a means of circumventing the restriction, given that a sliced watermelon mirrors the flag's distinctive colour scheme.
Israeli authorities subsequently responded by threatening to seize artwork depicting the fruit.
Since the terrorist attacks of October 7th, 2023, the symbol has gained renewed prominence in demonstrations supporting the Palestinian cause.
Disney+ Official Christmas Advert | A Lifetime Of Great Stories | Disney+ UK
|DISNEY
Online users have increasingly deployed watermelon emojis as a method of evading social media algorithms that restrict content containing references to Palestine or its flag.
The imagery has become particularly prevalent across digital platforms where such automated content moderation is active.
The watermelon controversy arrives amid years of criticism directed at Disney over its perceived cultural agenda.
In 2022, footage emerged of a company executive outlining ambitions for half of all characters in Disney productions to be from racial minorities or LGBTQ communities.
The entertainment giant has also faced backlash over creative decisions including the introduction of transgender characters in programming aimed at younger audiences.
Its Snow White adaptation, starring Rachel Zegler, drew particular ire after the studio opted to replace the traditional seven dwarves with what it described as "magical creatures".
Disney additionally became entangled in a dispute with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis following internal pressure to oppose legislation restricting gender identity education in primary schools for younger pupils.