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After many white nationalists were seen carrying tiki torches through the University of Virginia campus on Friday evening while chanting “White Lives Matter” and “Jews will not replace us,” TIKI Brand, the maker of the backyard torches, issued a statement condemning the event and the white nationalists’ agenda.
“TIKI Brand is not associated in any way with the events that took place in Charlottesville and are deeply saddened and disappointed,” wrote the company in a statement posted on Facebook on Saturday, the day of the “Unite the Right” rally. “We do not support their message or the use of our products in this way. Our products are designed to enhance backyard gatherings and to help family and friends connect with each other at home in their yard.”
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Many Facebook users praised and thanked the brand for their statement, with some comparing the the company’s words to the president’s more ambiguous phrasing. “Never thought I’d see the day where tiki torches did a better job at dissociating from neo-nazis than the freaking president,” wrote one user.
Several other brands are stepping forward to distance themselves from the agenda of the white nationalists who may choose to use their products. Back in July, British brand Fred Perry, maker of a popular polo shirt style worn by the alt-right group the Proud Boys, also issued a statement denouncing their beliefs. “We don’t support the ideals or the group that you speak of,” the chairman of the brand told the CBC. “It is counter to our beliefs and the people we work with.”
After it was noted that some of the white nationalist protestors had also adapted the Detroit Red Wings logo for their signs, adding an SS insignia to the inside of the wheel, the hockey team issued its own statement condemning their beliefs and disassociating from the group, as did the NHL.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 12, 2017
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