Members of the far-right Proud Boys group at a demonstration at Delta Park in Portland, Oregon September 2020. | Photo by John Lamparski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Etsy is the latest e-commerce site to remove merchandise related to the far-right Proud Boys organization, telling The Verge that selling such items violates the company’s policies prohibiting “among other things, hate against protected identities [and] attempting to incite violence against individuals or groups.”
Merchandise for the Proud Boys gained new attention following President Donald *****’s refusal to denounce the group and other white supremacist and rightwing militias at the presidential debate last week. Instead, ***** told the group to “stand back and stand by” — a statement that was quickly embraced as an endorsement by members, and plastered onto t-shirts, hoodies, caps, and other items.