TORONTO — A T-shirt displaying an “All Lives Matter” slogan on Walmart Canada’s website appears to have been taken down after backlash this week.
Twitter erupted with criticism against the company on Tuesday after users tweeted links to a listing of a shirt that displayed the phrase. It was being sold through a third-party seller on Walmart’s website, and was one of many products bearing the slogan “All Lives Matter.”
The slogan has been widely criticized for its racist implications, as it was popularized only after the “Black Lives Matter” movement began.
By Thursday, the listing was no longer active, and the link led only to Walmart Canada’s front page.
In addition, searching the phrase “all lives matter” in the website’s search bar now redirects users to a search for “Black Lives Matter.”
CTVNews.ca has reached out to Walmart Canada for comment.
On Tuesday, a Walmart Canada spokesperson told CTVNews.ca by email that the company was investigating the product, which was sold by a third party on the company’s online platform.
“At Walmart Canada, we stand against any form of racism or discrimination,” the spokesperson said Tuesday. “We promote listening, seeking to understand and embracing individual differences.”
They added that they were aware of numerous products that were variations on the “lives matter” theme.
As of Thursday, searching phrases such as “Blue Lives Matter” and “Police Lives Matter,” still brings up products bearing those slogans.
Walmart Canada has removed listings by third-party sellers due to backlash before, including last December, when a shirt that appeared to show Santa Claus doing cocaine produced an uproar.
