In the wake of last week’s shooting in Charleston, eBay has announced that it will ban listings for the Confederate flag and other items containing the image. In doing so, the retail giant joins Walmart and Sears, which announced earlier today they would stop selling items depicting the flag.
“We have decided to prohibit Confederate flags, and many items containing this image, because we believe it has become a contemporary symbol of divisiveness and racism,” the company said in a statement.
eBay stressed that the ban is not a change in protocol, but rather reflects the company’s established values:
“This decision is consistent with our long-standing policy that prohibits items that promote or glorify hatred, violence and racial intolerance.”
As social media pictures surfaced portraying alleged Charleston shooter Dylann Roof wearing the Confederate flag, many have begun questioning the symbol’s continued presence in American life. Much of the controversy revolves around South Carolina’s Capitol building, where a Confederate flag currently flies at a memorial.
A number of prominent figures, including 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney have urged South Carolina to take down the flag, and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley has promised to push for its removal.
Take down the #ConfederateFlag at the SC Capitol. To many, it is a symbol of racial hatred. Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) June 20, 2015
Apple’s Tim Cook and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff have also joined the movement to remove the flag from the American zeitgeist, taking to Twitter to implore Americans to eradicate symbols of racism like the flag.
