Yahoo Finance Rape T-Shirts: Amazon Offers 'Hit Her' Tops Too
Amazon UK has continued to offer controversial clothing on its website hours after an American fashion firm was forced to apologise for selling "Keep Calm And Rape" T-shirts.
The discovery comes after the "Keep Calm And Rape A Lot" shirts, offered for sale by the Solid Gold Bomb company, were withdrawn following widespread criticism.
A spokesman for Amazon UK told Sky News that the 'rape' garments were no longer available and said: "I can confirm that those items are not available for sale."
However, although Amazon has withdrawn that item, it sill offered shirts from the same firm that apparently advocate domestic violence.
One shirt for sale on Saturday morning in both Britain and Germany was emblazoned with the message: "Keep Calm And Hit Her".
Others for sale through Amazon included "Keep Calm And Grope On" and "Keep Calm And Grope A Lot".
Critics of the T-shirts quickly let their feelings be known by posting scores of negative comments on the relevant Amazon pages about the online retailer and the fashion company.
One said: "Do the decent thing and pull this disgusting item now. Remove all items by the same company to show them this will not be tolerated."
Another online customer, Jody, said: "Your on a roll now Amazon. So not content with supporting and encouraging rape your also advocating violence against women.
"Domestic violence is a crime. Real men don't beat there partners."
Amazon listed the manufacturing quality as "Fine Jersey T-Shirt", saying the items were made by American Apparel (AMEX: APP - news) prior to printing in the US.
When Solid Gold Bomb withdrew the 'rape' garment it also posted a statement on its website which said: "We have been informed of the fact that we were selling an offensive T-shirt primarily in the UK.
"This has been immediately deleted as it was and had been automatically generated using a scripted computer process running against 100s of thousands of dictionary words."
Solid Gold Bomb said it received death threats and its Twitter account was bombarded with scores of angry messages - many of which said: "Rape is not a joke."
Solid Gold Bomb replied: "We're sorry for the ill-feeling this has caused! We're doing our best here to fix the problem."
Both its Facebook (NasdaqGS: FB - news) and Twitter accounts have since been shut down.
It said the scripted programming process that created the slogan was compiled by "only one member of our staff", but that it "accepted the responsibility of the error".
Solid Gold Bomb said it sends its T-shirts from Worcester in Massachusetts to throughout the US, UK, Germany, Canada and 79 other countries daily.
Amazon typically charges companies 7% of the price, postage and any taxes to list and sell items through its website.
With the 'Keep Calm' shirts retailing between £14.99 to £16.99 - excluding postage - Amazon may make more than £1.18 on each sale.
Last year Amazon came under fire from MPs and the public over tax avoidance, after it was claimed the company generated UK sales during three years of between £7.6bn and £10.3bn, but paid virtually no corporation tax.
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