Hate groups co-opt brands, logos

Last weekend in Charlottesville, hundreds of people espousing white nationalist, neo-Nazi and Klux Klux Klan ideology marched in the dark through the University of Virginia campus while illuminating the night with tiki torches in hand.

Until then, the fire-tipped poles were mostly associated with backyard barbecue ambiance, kitschy Polynesian luaus and mosquito-repellent. Now, tiki torches are among the growing list of products and logos being used by white nationalists.

Corporations, in a bid to protect their brands and images, have been quick to denounce the groups.

“TIKI Brand is not associated in any way with the events that took place in Charlottesville and are deeply saddened and disappointed,” the company wrote Saturday on its Facebook page. “We do not support their message or the use of our products in this way.”

Along with their tiki torches, some “Unite the Right” marchers in Charlottesville also carried signs that replicated the logo of the Detroit Red Wings, one of the most popular teams in the National Hockey League. The team’s logo, altered slightly to incorporate Nazi imagery, is the apparent symbol representing a group from Michigan called the Detroit Right Wings, reported CNN.

In a sharp statement posted to social media and its website, the team said that the Detroit Red Wings “vehemently disagree with and are not associated in any way” with the Charlottesville rally.

Late Sunday night, the neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer was put on notice by GoDaddy, the web hosting company that houses its domain. In a statement to The Washington Post, GoDaddy said that a post on the website disparaging Heather Heyer, the 32-yearold woman killed Saturday during the Charlottesville rally, could “incite more violence,” which violated its terms of service.

GoDaddy, after months of criticism for giving the anti-Semitic website a platform for hate speech, said it had given the Daily Stormer 24 hours to move the domain to another provider before it canceled service.