As the public outcry continues over the existence of the Confederate Flag, prominent online retailers Amazon and eBay announced Tuesday afternoon that they would ban merchandise that depicted the flag.
Amazon’s bow to online pressure came just hours after eBay made their statement. Wal-Mart and Sears announced their intentions to ban Confederate branded merchandise yesterday.
CNN’s MJ Lee, who started questioning online retailers about the flag, announced on Twitter that Amazon had decided to pull the merchandise after multiple requests for comment about the issue.
Amazon spokesperson now confirms that the company will pull Confederate flag merchandise.
— MJ Lee (@mj_lee) June 23, 2015
About 20 hours earlier, Lee posted the first article reporting that Wal-Mart had decided to ban Confederate flag themed merchandise, updating her story to include a list of retailers who refused to respond. Amazon was among the last companies she listed to respond to her inquiry.
Scoop: Walmart will remove all Confederate flag merchandise from its stores http://t.co/k7i2sFGA0O @CNNPolitics
— MJ Lee (@mj_lee) June 22, 2015
Sales of the flag spiked on Amazon after South Carolina political leaders called for the flag to be removed from the State Capitol.
According to Amazon’s “Movers and Shakers” sales rankings this afternoon, sales of the controversial flag were up 2,305 percent in the Patio, Lawn, & Garden department.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at the White House press briefing this afternoon that the decisions by major retailers to ban the flag were “consistent with the kind of position that the president has taken when it comes to the Confederate flag.”
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