Amazon doesn’t seem to be learning from the blunders it’s made in the past.
In 2017, the e-commerce giant’s Canadian website found itself in the line of fire for selling a doormat depicting the Indian flag. After Sushma Swaraj, India’s then external affairs minister, threatened to rescind the visas of all foreign Amazon employees in India, the listing was taken down.
But then again, in 2019, #BoycottAmazon made a reappearance on social media, with the wrath directed to the U.S. store selling toilet seat covers, rugs and mats with images of Hindu gods.
In a déjà vu, the hashtag has now made yet another comeback for featuring images of Lord Ganesha and Om, and other Hindu symbols—this time around on underwear, swimsuits and once again, doormats.
As #BoycottAmazon started trending on Twitter, with users sharing screenshots of the products and calling out the firm for hurting their sentiments, Amazon issued a statement saying those products would be taken down.
“All sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who do not will be subject to action including potential removal of their account,” the world’s biggest online retailer said in a statement. The company further mentioned that several products on the website are directly controlled by the sellers and not the company.
But many people were still pissed. “We too have religious sentiments. Don’t violate Section 295A. The section says that any person deliberately and maliciously intended to outrage religious feelings can be punished for the term prescribed or extended up to 3 years”, tweeted Gaurav Goel, a leader in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Some, of course, are amused at the Indian propensity for getting easily offended and using a social media hashtag to make sure the world knows how offended they are.
Just in October, an Indian jewellery brand was forced to withdraw an advertisement after facing vicious trolling. Tanishq, the company, pulled the ad that showed a baby shower for a pregnant Hindu woman by her Muslim in-laws. The hate campaign resulted in #BoycottTanishq trending.
In March 2019, consumer goods major Hindustan Unilever drew social media ire for “defaming Hinduism” for a commercial around Kumbh Mela. The result? You guessed it right: #BoycottHindustanUnilever started trending. In 2015, Hindu right-wing supporters attacked homegrown e-commerce firm Snapdeal after its then brand ambassador and Bollywood actor Aamir Khan called out the growing religious intolerance in the country. #BoycottSnapdeal was born out of this.
But calls for boycotting Amazon or its products have not been limited to just India in the recent past. In the U.K., campaign group Ethical Consumer recently urged shoppers to avoid Prime Day over Amazon's social and environmental failings. In the U.S., the calls for a boycott last month were over fears that the surge in packages could affect the U.S. Postal Service’s capacity to handle mail-in ballots.
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