Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT) is removing a T-shirt off its shelves due to the violent activity it promotes.
The shirt essentially encourages people to be violent against journalists with the following message, “Rope. Tree. Journalist. SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.” It was first brought to the public attention two days before the presidential election last year during a Trump rally Minnesota where a supporter was seen wearing it.
The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) sent Walmart in the U.S. a note that was flagging the shirt’s message. The agency said it supports free speech and it is the retailer’s right to sell it if it chooses to do so, but that wouldn’t be the right thing to do.
The T-shirt came from Teespring, and Walmart said it apologized for selling the item and it would review all its other Teespring merchandise to make sure it doesn’t have any more incendiary content in its apparel.
“According to our fellow press freedom advocacy group Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 48 journalists have been killed in other countries around the world thus far in 2017,” the RTDNA wrote.
Following the image of the T-shirt at the Trump rally, the item was removed from the Teespring site. But as recently as last week, the site was offering the shirt for $22.95 with the promise that you would get the item by Christmas Eve.
WMT stock gained 0.2% Friday.
