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Walmart Canada apologised and removed several holiday jumpers sold by a third-party seller, including one featuring an image of Santa Claus seated at a table with three white lines that appeared to be cocaine. Photo: Walmart

It’s snow joke: Colombia threatens to sue over cocaine Christmas jumper

  • Walmart has withdrawn a festive jumper that celebrates cocaine
  • But Colombia still threatens to sue, saying ‘the damage was done’
Fashion

A Colombian government agency on Tuesday threatened to sue Walmart over a Christmas jumper that associated the country to cocaine.

The jumper, offered by a third-party seller on its Canadian website, featured an image of a bug-eyed Santa Claus seated in front of three white lines. The sweater’s tagline: “LET IT SNOW”.

For those who weren’t quite sure what the jumper might be suggesting, its product description read:

“We all know how snow works. It’s white, powdery and the best snow comes straight from South America. That’s bad news for jolly old St. Nick, who lives far away in the North Pole. That’s why Santa really likes to savour the moment when he gets his hands on some quality, grade A, Colombian snow.”

On Saturday, the retail giant issued an apology about the jumper at issue and removed it from the Canadian website, along with several other pieces of risqué Christmas clothing.

“These jumpers, sold by a third-party seller on Walmart.ca, do not represent Walmart’s values and have no place on our website. We apologise for any unintended offence this may have caused,” Walmart said in a statement.

But some unsatisfied Colombian officials still believe Walmart should pay for the insulting Colombia-cocaine connection.

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The National Agency of Legal Defence of the State on Tuesday threatened to sue Walmart and demanded that the US-based supermarket chain indemnify Colombia for the damage caused by listing the jumper.

According to El Tiempo, the agency is preparing legal filings and if the chain does not comply, will move forward with legal process by the end of the week.

Members of the Colombian army present 3.9 tonnes of seized cocaine in 2013. File photo: EPA

“The Walmart jumper is an offence to the country. It generates damage to the legal products of Colombia and damage to the country’s reputation,” said agency director Camilo Gomez-Alzate, the outlet reported.

“Although Walmart apologised, the damage was done.”

In addition to monetary damages, Gomez-Alzate, who in 2014 ran to be the country’s vice-president, said Colombia will demand that Walmart promotes legal Colombian products and spends 10 times the amount invested in advertising cocaine-related products.

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The funds will be donated to foundations that support the families of members of the police and military forces who were killed or wounded fighting drug trafficking, it said.

“Colombia must be respected,” Gomez said, according to El Tiempo.

“What will the family of a person who died in the fight against drug trafficking feel when a firm like Walmart promotes a bag of cocaine from Colombia?”

Walmart has faced similar issues before.

Last year, US President Donald Trump’s supporters called for a boycott over a T-shirt sold on Walmart’s American marketplace. The shirt bore the words “Impeach 45:, a reference to Trump, the 45th president of the United States.

In 2017, Walmart apologised for a third-party seller’s online ad that contained a racist slur. The listing from a British company that sold hair products tailored to black people was for a wig cap in the colour “n – brown”.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: ChristmasCocaine festive jumper is snow joke for Walmart
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