An American clothing retailer has been forced to apologise after releasing a blood-splattered sweatshirt that rekindled painful memories of the shooting of four Kent State University students in 1970s.
The Kent State University sweater sold by Urban Outfitters references the 1970 killing of four students protesting the Vietnam War by the Army National Guard in Ohio.
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In a statement, Kent State University described the sweatshirt as “beyond poor taste”.
“We take great offence to a company using our pain for their publicity and profit,” said the statement.
“This item is beyond poor taste and trivialises a loss of life that still hurts the Kent State community today.”
After a backlash on Twitter, Urban Outfitters apologised for the garment, saying in a tweet: “It was never our intention to allude to the tragic events that took place at Kent State in 1970.”
Urban Outfitters sincerely apologizes for any offense our Vintage Kent State Sweatshirt may have caused. It (cont) http://t.co/o3oKyPJFu8
— Urban Outfitters (@UrbanOutfitters) September 15, 2014
Twitter users said they would boycott the store, with many rejecting the retailer’s apology.
Until today I used to think the worst things about Urban Outfitters were the prices, the staff and the clientele.
— OhNoSheTwitnt (@OhNoSheTwitnt) September 15, 2014
Urban Outfitters is selling what looks like a bloody Kent State sweatshirt, so distasteful http://t.co/l7XO0ruZJi pic.twitter.com/1sFa8HSziO
— Lainna Fader (@lainnafader) September 15, 2014
Hey, @UrbanOutfitters. Saw your terrible shirt and your weak apology. Allow me to say this: pic.twitter.com/jpr1vNf8oP
— Steve Marmel (@Marmel) September 15, 2014
Yet another reason to boycott @UrbanOutfitters they’re selling a vintage blood spattered kent state sweatshirt pic.twitter.com/WlOsQS0ZJH
— Dana DeArmond ™ (@danadearmond) September 15, 2014
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