Tiki torch maker distances itself from racists

As the images streamed out of Charlottesville, Va., this month showing white nationalists protesting the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, many could not help noticing the product illuminating the faces twisted into sneers of hate: Tiki torches.

Those bamboo beacons, produced by Tiki Brand, a 60-year-old company, and known primarily for their presence at barbecues, resort grounds and Pacific-island themed restaurants, were now lighting the way for racists.

Tiki, which is owned by the Wisconsin-based Lamplight Farms, denounced the white nationalists in a Facebook post on Aug. 12. “We do not support their message or the use of our products in this way,” it said. “Our products are designed to enhance backyard gatherings and to help family and friends connect with each other at home in their yard.”

This is not the first time that white nationalists and other members of the so-called alt-right have chosen particular products to co-opt or endorse. For years, the British clothing line Fred Perry has been dogged by its affiliation with skinheads, who seemed to favor its polo shirts as a sort of uniform, along with Dr. Martens, the makers of steel-toed boots.

The Tiki torches were probably just a matter of convenience, said Joan Donovan, lead researcher in media manipulation at the research institute Data & Society, who studies hate groups and white supremacists. Torches have long been associated with the Ku Klux Klan, but those used in the past were far more likely to be homemade.

Donovan said that the best way to counter any perception of being embraced by extremist groups is for brands to avoid even mentioning the people or groups that are trying to use their products.

“If you acknowledge and promote their existence and validate their actions in a way that even says ‘We disavow you,’ then it doesn’t give room to talk about the things you do support or find to be positive ways forward,” she said.