In the wake of the Charleston church shooting, the Confederate battle flag is once again a major topic of discussion. Now that South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is finally calling for the flag to be removed from the state Capital grounds in Columbia, retailers are beginning to turn against the controversial symbol that represents racism and hatred to many.
Both Walmart and Amazon said this week that they will stop selling items and flags that feature the flag. eBay has also announced that it will pull listings of the flag.
“We never want to offend anyone with the products that we offer. We have taken steps to remove all items promoting the confederate flag from our assortment -- whether in our stores or on our web site,” Walmart spokesman Brian Nick told CNN. “We have a process in place to help lead us to the right decisions when it comes to the merchandise we sell. Still, at times, items make their way into our assortment improperly -- this is one of those instances.”
eBay spokeswoman Johnna Hoff told CNN that the flag has “become a contemporary symbol of divisiveness and racism,” to it will ban all sales of Confederate flags and items with the symbol.
The Washington Post confirmed that Amazon is pulling the flag as well. Reuters reports that Sears also stopped selling the flag.
The Confederate flag has always been controversial, but the continued use of it in everyday life in the South has become a hot topic since Dylan Woolf allegedly shot and killed nine people last week at a historic African-American church in Charleston. In photos that have surfaced, Roof is seen wearing the Confederate flag or carrying it.
screenshot of Gov. Nikki Haley via YouTube video