TikTok removes swastika necklace from seller's shop after outrage

TikTok said it has removed a swastika necklace from one user’s TikTok shop after people online reported seeing the product advertised in their feeds in the days after Hanukkah. The product, which was labeled as a “Hiphop titanium steel pendant,” drew outrage as people online questioned why the Nazi symbol was being sold on the platform. Listed at around $8, the silver necklace was described by the seller as a “simple swastika symbol … suitable for both boys and girls, trendy and niche.” By Christmas Day, the necklace was no longer listed on TikTok Shop, the social media site’s e-commerce platform. But the user’s shop is still active and selling other necklaces, including a tarot card pendant, a St. Michael pendant and a necklace with “Bring Them Home–Now!” written in English and “Our heart is held captive in Gaza” written in Hebrew — a message expressing solidarity with Israeli hostages captured by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. TikTok confirmed that the platform removed the swastika necklace listing as soon as it was made aware of it. The tech company did not confirm whether additional action will be taken against the seller, Twoosome. TikTok Shop’s content policy prohibits the promotion of “vulgar or offensive language, including hate speech, slurs, or discriminatory remarks.” The platform has stated that it prohibits hate speech and hateful ideologies, including those conveyed through symbols. The advocacy organization Jewish on Campus condemned the listing on social media this week. “When symbols tied to antisemitism and white supremacy are marketed on a major social platform, the Jewish community is impacted with shock and fear,” the organization wrote in a post. “Swastikas aren’t only a representation of a dark past. They continue to be used against us today. It’s frightening, and it’s unacceptable.” As of Thursday, Twoosome had a 4.4-star rating out of 5 on TikTok Shop, with more than 5,000 products sold and more than 600 repeat customers. It appears to specialize in a variety of fashion accessories. According to its seller info on the platform, the brand is run by Shanwei Chengcheng Technology Trading Co. NBC News did not find a company online under that name. NBC News attempted to reach out to the seller on TikTok Shop but received an error message stating that the message “couldn’t be sent as your account or message might not align with our guidelines.” Similar controversies have hit major e-commerce platforms before. In 2020, the fast fashion giant Shein removed a $2.50 swastika necklace from its site after the listing sparked backlash online. The company told the New York Post that the listing wasn’t for a Nazi swastika, but for “a Buddhist swastika which has symbolized spirituality and good fortune for more than a thousand years.” “The Nazi swastika has a different design, it is pointed clockwise and tilted at an angle,” Shein said at the time. “However, because we understand the two symbols can be confused and one is highly offensive, we have removed the product from our site.” On Wednesday, the listing description for Twoosome’s TikTok Shop necklace was updated from “swastika symbol” to “Buddhist manji symbol” before its removal from the platform, Fox News reported. Prior to the Nazi Party’s adoption of the symbol in the 1920s, the swastika was known as the “Sanskrit svastika, which means ‘good fortune’ or ‘well-being,’” according to the Holocaust Encyclopedia, a website run by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “The motif (a hooked cross) appears to have first been used in Eurasia, as early as 7,000 years ago, perhaps representing the movement of the sun through the sky,” according to the Holocaust Encyclopedia website. “To this day, it is a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Odinism.” NBC News was unable to independently verify whether the TikTok Shop vendor made the change prior to the listing’s removal.