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Walmart Canada investigating after ‘All Lives Matter’ shirts cause outrage

Shirts are sold by a third-party seller and the company says it is reviewing the items
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Two shirts sold on Walmart Canada’s website by a third-party seller shown here in screenshots taken Tuesday, June 23, 2020. (Walmart Canada)

Walmart Canada saw outrage directed at the company on social media over shirts with “All Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter” slogans being sold online.

In response to questions from Black Press Media, Walmart Canada said the company is looking into the shirts, which are sold in its third-party marketplace.

“We stand against any form of racism or discrimination. We promote listening, seeking to understand and embracing individual differences. Today, our third-party marketplace has a number of items with variations on the phrase ‘lives matter.’ We will continue to review those items to ensure compliance with our terms and conditions.”

In Twitter replies to concerned users, Walmart Canada said the shirts were being sold by a third party seller and were “currently being looked into” by the company.

“Disgusting @WalmartCanada take this off of your racks,” said Twitter user Keetana Siva. Meanwhile, Wayne Lord tweeted that it was “quite disingenuous to advocate and support Black Lives Matter” at the same time as the company sells “All Lives Matter” shirts in their marketplace.

READ MORE: Long seen as radical, Black Lives Matter goes mainstream

The “All Lives Matter” shirt that sparked the ire of Twitter users is sold by a company named Old Glory on the Walmart website. The company appears to sell a variety of slogan T-shirts, including a baby’s onesie that says “Blue Lives Matter” on it. Another “Blue Lives Matter” shirt, sold by Fox Outdoor, is also up on the Walmart website.

Both sayings have been the topic of division, especially in recent days, amid protests against racism and police brutality in the U.S., Canada, and in more than a dozen countries around the world. The Black Lives Matter movement has indicated that saying “All Lives Matter” minimizes the suffering of Black people.


@katslepian

katya.slepian@bpdigital.ca

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