Are These Trainers Racist? Nike Withdraws Shoes Following Outcry
3 July 2019, 09:13 | Updated: 3 July 2019, 09:44
Nike have withdrawn a pair of trainers with an old US flag on them after accusations of links to racism and slavery.
The trainers with a Betsy Ross flag were due to be released for Independence Day on 4th July, but the company has pulled them from sale.
The decision came after NFL player Colin Kaepernick asked Nike to reconsider the design, saying it would send the wrong message about race.
The Air Max 1 design included an embroidery of an old US flag showing 13 stars, which represents the original 13 colonies.
Complaints centred on the fact that it celebrates an era in US history when slavery was commonplace.
The flag was later adopted for use by the American Nazi party.
Doug Ducey, the Republican governor of Arizona, is furious with Nike's decision to pull the trainers, tweeting: "Words cannot express my disappointment at this terrible decision. I am embarrassed for Nike.
"Instead of celebrating American history the week of our nation's independence, Nike has apparently decided that Betsy Ross is unworthy, and has bowed to the current onslaught of political correctness and historical revisionism."
