A Louisiana man said he got Walmart to bake him a cake featuring the flag of the Islamic State after the store refused to make him a cake decorated with the Confederate battle flag and the caption, “Heritage not hate.”
Activist Chuck Netzhammer posted a YouTube video in which he said he had a Walmart in Slidell, Louisiana, make the ISIS cake to show the store's hypocrisy in banning Confederate flag-themed products but not, apparently, ISIS-themed ones.
“Hi, Walmart, you’ve got some explaining to do,” he said in the video. “I went to buy a printed cake from y’all the other day with this image on it and y’all wouldn’t do it. I’ve got proof. Went back yesterday and managed to get an ISIS battle flag printed. ISIS happens to be somebody we’re fighting against right now who are killing our men and boys overseas and are beheading Christians.”
Walmart spokesman John Forrest Ales said in a statement to NBC Owned Stations on Tuesday: "Our talented bakery associates take pride in what they create for our customers. It's unfortunate that one customer sought to take advantage of an associate who did not know the flag or its meaning. This cake should not have been made and we apologize for the mistake."
Walmart joined other companies, including Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Sears and Target, in removing Confederate flag-themed items from their sites and stores. The business decision came in the wake of the June 17 mass shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Photographs of alleged shooter Dylann Roof emerged online showing him posing with the Confederate battle flag.
Editor's note: This post has been updated to correct the date of the Charleston church shooting.
