TikTok said it has removed a swastika necklace from one user\u2019s TikTok shop after people online reported seeing the product advertised in their feeds in the days after Hanukkah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The product, which was labeled as a \u201cHiphop titanium steel pendant,\u201d 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 \u201csimple swastika symbol \u2026 suitable for both boys and girls, trendy and niche.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Christmas Day, the necklace was no longer listed on TikTok Shop, the social media site\u2019s e-commerce platform. But the user\u2019s shop is still active and selling other necklaces, including a tarot card pendant, a St. Michael pendant and a necklace with \u201cBring Them Home\u2013Now!\u201d written in English and \u201cOur heart is held captive in Gaza\u201d written in Hebrew \u2014 a message expressing solidarity with Israeli hostages captured by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TikTok Shop\u2019s content policy prohibits the promotion of \u201cvulgar or offensive language, including hate speech, slurs, or discriminatory remarks.\u201d The platform has stated that it prohibits hate speech and hateful ideologies, including those conveyed through symbols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The advocacy organization Jewish on Campus condemned the listing on social media this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen symbols tied to antisemitism and white supremacy are marketed on a major social platform, the Jewish community is impacted with shock and fear,\u201d the organization wrote in a post. \u201cSwastikas aren\u2019t only a representation of a dark past. They continue to be used against us today. It\u2019s frightening, and it\u2019s unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 \u201ccouldn\u2019t be sent as your account or message might not align with our guidelines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similar controversies have hit major e-commerce platforms before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019t for a Nazi swastika, but for \u201ca Buddhist swastika which has symbolized spirituality and good fortune for more than a thousand years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Nazi swastika has a different design, it is pointed clockwise and tilted at an angle,\u201d Shein said at the time. \u201cHowever, because we understand the two symbols can be confused and one is highly offensive, we have removed the product from our site.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Wednesday, the listing description for Twoosome\u2019s TikTok Shop necklace was updated from \u201cswastika symbol\u201d to \u201cBuddhist manji symbol\u201d before its removal from the platform, Fox News reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prior to the Nazi Party\u2019s adoption of the symbol in the 1920s, the swastika was known as the \u201cSanskrit svastika, which means \u2018good fortune\u2019 or \u2018well-being,\u2019\u201d according to the Holocaust Encyclopedia, a website run by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe 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,\u201d according to the Holocaust Encyclopedia website. \u201cTo this day, it is a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Odinism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NBC News was unable to independently verify whether the TikTok Shop vendor made the change prior to the listing\u2019s removal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n