"Free Kyle" T-shirts have been removed from the shelves, and Shopify has banned the sale of such products!

Recently, FOX Business News released a news report that Shopify has removed the " Free Kyle " T -shirts sold by the independent store BringAmmo because it was suspected of inciting hatred and violated Shopify 's Acceptable Use Policy .

The $24.95 T -shirt features an image of Illinois teen Kyle Rittenhouse holding a gun and the slogan " Free Kyle " on the front. Kyle Rittenhouse is accused of murder in the shooting that killed two people and injured one during unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin .

Seth Weathers, the founder of BringAmmo , also announced in the store's advertisement that he would deduct $5 from each T-shirt sold and donate it to the Free Kyle Foundation established by Rittenhouse 's family . To date, he has donated at least $1,000 to the foundation , and the funds raised by the foundation will be used to pay for Rittenhouse 's legal defense costs.

( Free Kyle Foundation official website)

"We were recently made aware that certain products on your store ( bring-ammo.myshopify.com ) violate Shopify ’s Acceptable Use Policy ( AUP )," Shopify wrote in a January 14 email to Weathers . " The following products have been removed and cannot be relisted. "

Shopify 's AUP policy covers a wide range of areas, including prohibiting the sale of goods and services that promote hatred, violence, illegal activities, self-harm, and terrorist organizations.

But Weathers believes Shopify has adopted an anti-conservative attitude, telling FOX   Business News Shopify 's decision to remove the product was given little explanation to him and was "unexpected" because the product had been on the market since the summer of 2020. And Shopify 's ban will leave conservative merchants like him with nowhere to go .

Weathers noted that Shopify has not enforced the removal of other items on the site that feature images of guns , including a T- shirt with a St. Louis couple, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, on the front . The married couple is facing criminal charges for pointing guns at Black Lives Matter protesters. But Facebook and Apple Business Chat have been ahead of Shopify in this regard , banning these products as early as 2020.

No matter how the two-party politics in the United States play out, selling products suspected of inciting extreme emotions such as hatred and violence is unacceptable both morally and logically. Therefore, the editor believes that Shopify's measures to remove related products from the shelves are necessary.

Sellers should also note that any merchant must stick to their bottom line and promote correct values ​​when running their own business activities. They must not follow the trend to sell products that violate humanitarian principles, so as to avoid losing more than they gain due to platform bans.

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