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The company was joined by Google and eBay as well as other American stores including Walmart, Sears and Kmart. It follows calls from South Carolina state governor Nikki Haley to remove the flag from the grounds of the state capital following protests at the ...
Amazon and Walmart stop selling Confederate flag after Charleston shooting
Amazon has stopped selling goods bearing the Confederate flag after the Charleston church shooting.
The company was joined by Google and eBay as well as other American stores including Walmart, Sears and Kmart.
It follows calls from South Carolina state governor Nikki Haley to remove the flag from the grounds of the state capital following protests at the weekend.
Critics say it's a symbol of racism in southern America.
Warner Bros also says it's stopping the production of toys and replicas of the General Lee, the car from the Dukes of Hazzard, which had the flag on its roof and front licence plate.
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The flag is back in the spotlight after last week's church killings in Charleston.
Dylann Roof, who's accused of carrying out the killings, appeared in photos with the banner on a website linked to his name.
Roof has been charged with nine counts of murder. All his victims were black.
Pressure is also mounting on politicians to withdraw the Confederate battle flag across the US.
The battle flag, a red rectangle marked with a blue cross embedded with white stars, is a symbol of the pro-slavery South during the American Civil War.
It is seen by some as a symbol of southern US heritage, but others say it is a racist relic that should be left in the past.
Walmart, the world's largest retailer which also has a large presence in the south of America, said it would remove Confederate flag merchandise from its shelves as a matter of respect.
"We never want to offend anyone with the products that we offer," Walmart spokesman Brian Nick said in a statement.
"We have taken steps to remove all items promoting the Confederate flag from our assortment, whether in our stores or on our website."
The company's CEO Doug McMillon said in a television interview that he didn't know that Walmart carried Confederate flag merchandise.
"We just don't want to sell products that make anyone feel uncomfortable and we felt like that was the case," he said.
"This was the right thing to do."
An Amazon company official said it would remove Confederate flag paraphernalia from its site.
Meanwhile, it's being reported in the states that Civil War enthusiasts, worried that they won't be able to buy Confederate symbols in the future, have been buying up flags and other Confederate flag merchandise online.
Before Amazon's ban, sales of the site's most popular Confederate flags rose by more than 3,600% in 24 hours.
Privately-owned Valley Forge Flag, one of the most prominent US flag manufacturers, says it will stop making and selling Confederate flags.
E-commerce website Etsy also said it would remove all Confederate flag-related merchandise from its marketplace, which lists handmade and craft products.
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