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TikTok Shop was selling a swastika pendant necklace that was allegedly pushed to users through targeted ads. The now-deleted listing for the necklace described it as a “bold” and “stylish” piece.
“Hiphop titanium steel pendant, bold, stylish, and simple swastika symbol, trendy and unique pendant necklace, suitable for both boys and girls, trendy and niche,” the original description read. It also noted that a number of necklaces had been sold.
Before the listing was apparently taken down, the description was changed from a “swastika symbol” to a “Buddhist manji symbol.”
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TikTok told Fox News Digital that the item was removed because it violated the social media platform’s policies. TikTok prohibits certain content from its platform, including discriminatory language and hateful messaging.
Several people took to other social media platforms with screenshots of the necklace, many asking why TikTok would allow it to be sold. Some pointed out the disturbing juxtaposition of a model in the ad wearing the necklace over a shirt that read “FORGET,” as the phrase “never forget” is often associated with Holocaust remembrance.
“For GenZ Jews, seeing a swastika necklace sold on TikTok Shop is alarming and deeply hurtful. This generation lives much of its public life online, and digital spaces shape what is seen as acceptable or normal. When a platform allows an explicitly antisemitic symbol to be marketed as fashion, it signals a failure to protect Jewish users and a willingness to prioritize engagement over safety,” Jewish on Campus, an organization aimed at serving as a voice for GenZ Jews in America, told Fox News Digital.
“The decision to advertise the necklace on a model wearing a shirt that says ‘forget’ is especially disturbing. Young Jews see this kind of imagery as part of a broader pattern in which antisemitism is repackaged as irony, shock value, or fashion, with little concern for the real harm it causes,” the organization added.
Jewish on Campus also said that TikTok and other platforms have a responsibility to understand the meaning behind these symbols and to implement safeguards that prevent them from appearing again.
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TikTok Shop is not the first online retailer to face controversy for selling items that appear to contain Nazi symbols.
In 2020, fast-fashion brand Shein faced backlash and later apologized for selling a “metal pendant necklace” that appeared to be a Nazi swastika. The brand claimed it was the manji symbol and later apologized.
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“We made a gigantic mistake by selling a product that’s hurtful and offensive to many of you, and we’re so, so sorry,” Shein wrote in a social media post.
“Here’s what happened: We listed a Buddhist swastika necklace for sale. There’s simply no excuse for our lack of sensitivity in doing so. The item was removed as soon as we discovered this mistake,” the brand said.
TikTok did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Deabler contributed to this report.
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