Etsy Blacklists MAGA Knit Hats for ‘Harmful Misinformation’

E-commerce platform Etsy says it is stamping out “harmful misinformation… from knitters making MAGA-themed beanies.

Conservative author and activist Michelle Malkin reported that Etsy user “Deplorable Knitter” had her beanie hats bearing the “Stop the Steal” slogan, a Republican rallying cry against voter fraud, banned from the platform.

“Trump Derangement Syndrome strikes crafters AGAIN. My friend Deplorable Knitter told me her #StopTheSteal hats have been banned on Etsy,” said Malkin in a tweet. 

According to Malkin, the hats are still available for purchase via Deplorable Knitter’s Instagram page.

“Here’s the email notification from Etsy: ‘Certain types of content are not appropriate for the Etsy marketplace. This includes content that promotes or endorses harmful misinformation, including items that can obstruct election integrity.'” 

Here's the email notification from Etsy: "Certain types of content are not appropriate for the Etsy marketplace. This includes content that promotes or endorses harmful misinformation, including items that can obstruct election integrity: https://t.co/oFi5Vgs7w2 /2 pic.twitter.com/ZGFkOPQRqg

— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) December 2, 2020

Etsy confirmed that Deplorable Knitter’s hats were indeed removed for violating the platform’s rules on “harmful misinformation.”

Etsy’s policy states:

Harmful misinformation is characterized by the propensity for false or inaccurate information to cause real-world harm. This includes misinformation that endangers a member’s or the public’s health or safety, or that obstructs civic engagement or election integrity. It also includes content that amplifies people, places or organizations as targets of harassment or violence based on misinformation. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Items or listings with misinformation that impedes a member’s civic engagement, such as registering to vote, voting, or participating in the census
• Items or listings with misinformation that risks the health or safety of the public or members, such as anti-vaccine claims
• Items or listings with misinformation that encourages harassment or violence towards people or groups, such as holocaust denial claims

While Etsy is banning MAGA-supporting hats, many items dedicated to the violent, extremist “Antifa” movement are available for purchase through the platform. These include a button featuring a spiked, bloody baseball bat featuring the slogan “bash the fash.”

A man who described himself as “100% ANTIFA” was responsible for the murder of a Trump supporter, Aaron Danielson, in Portland, OR this summer. Supporters of the Antifa movement later paid homage to the killer.

Although Etsy has a policy banning items that glorify violence, many of these Antifa-themed listings are still available as of this article’s publication.

Attorney general Bill Barr has said the Antifa movement is responsible for acts of domestic terrorism in the United States, and FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed earlier this year that the bureau is conducting “quite a number of investigations” into individuals and groups linked to the ideology.

Correction — As originally published this story stated that Etsy user “Deplorable Knitter” had been banned from the platform completely. In fact, her “Stop the Steal” hats were removed, but her account was not banned.

Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. His new book, #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election, which contains exclusive interviews with sources inside Google, Facebook, and other tech companies, is currently available for purchase.