Forced Walmart to run an ad for a pair of hiking boots with KKK embossed on the tongue

Walmart has taken a pair of boots off its website after they were tagged by a Muslim civil rights group.

Harsuny outdoor trekking shoes men’s tactical military hiking ankle boots went on sale in the store’s “marketplace”, where they were clearly marked with the letters “KKK”.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) tagged the boots at Walmart on Saturday and “respectfully” requested that the item be removed.

The Harsuny Men’s Tactical Military Hiking Ankle Boot Outdoor Trekking Shoe with “KKK” written on the tongue was pulled from Walmart’s website over the weekend

The company removed the product, which they said was “listed by an external third party” and “contradicts” Walmart’s “values.”

CAIR said they were informed about the boot via an email tip. They didn’t know how long the boots were available.

KKK is usually used as shorthand for the Ku Klux Klan, the white supremacist group that primarily targeted African Americans after the American Civil War.

In a press release, CAIR wrote: “We thank Walmart for posting an online listing for oddly/badly named ‘KKK’ boots after we brought it to their attention earlier today.”

They originally came in black and tan for around $50, both with red “KKK” lettering on the tongue.

A company spokesman said the boots were “listed by an external third party and removed because the item did not match [the company’s] Values ​​and violates Walmart’s Restricted Products Policy.’

They continued, “We have put in place a process designed to prevent third parties from offering inappropriate items on our platform.”

“Nevertheless, sometimes inappropriate articles make it onto our platform. We are reviewing how this happened and will apply our findings to further improve our rules and processes to prevent the sale of inappropriate goods.’

The boots, ripped from the billionaire company’s marketplace, came in black and tan

KKK is typically used as shorthand for the Ku Klux Klan, the white supremacist extremist group that primarily targeted African Americans after the American Civil War

CAIR brought the boots to the attention of Walmart after receiving an email tip about the oddly labeled boots. The Muslim civil rights organization thanked the company for promptly removing the shoes from its marketplace

Bootgate isn’t the first time Walmart has apologized for racially insensitive merchandise. In 2020, the store was pressured to discontinue merch lines saying “All Lives Matter.”

Walmart has not revealed the name of the company that made the boots. It’s unclear if the company is called Harsuny or has some sort of racially motivated agenda.

It is also unclear what the offensive lettering on the shoes stood for. But it’s not the first time the retailer has come under fire for offensive merchandise.

In 2020, the major retailer agreed to stop selling All Lives Matter clothing following the death of George Floyd.

And this PR blunder came after an incident where the store displayed a Mississippi state flag in its store.

The flag included a Confederate symbol that state legislatures have since voted to remove.