Amerika

• ‘Build the Wall’ jersey at Kings game sparks outrage. Wearer says it’s just for laughs

  Some users called it offensive to Kings fans who were trying to enjoy the game, claiming “Build the Wall” is an inherently racist phrase, while others defended the jerseys as expressions of free speech and said they did not do any harm.

• Legendary sportscaster Warner Wolf arrested, accused of removing ‘racist’ sign

  Surveillance video from Nov. 30 shows a man matching Wolf’s description removing the word “plantation” from the sign with a tool, the arrest report states.

• Alabama church removes pew honoring Confederate president

  “Confederate monuments and symbols have increasingly been used by groups that promote white supremacy and are now, to many people of all races, seen to represent insensitivity, hatred, and even evil,” [[[ Wisnewski ]]] wrote. “The mission of our parish is diametrically opposed to what these symbols have come to mean.”

• Geneva to ban religious symbols on public employees

  Teachers in Geneva are already banned from wearing visible religious symbols, including the hijab. The new text would extend this ban to elected officials and any local or cantonal public employees who comes in contact with the public.

• Noose photo displayed in New York classroom draws action from school district

  A photo, part of a larger collage on display in a classroom, showed two nooses under the term “back to school necklaces.” The words “ha” and “#yes” also appear in the photo.

• Is ‘Mary Poppins’ racist and using blackface?

  “These aren’t really black Africans; they’re grinning white dancers in blackface,” he wrote. “It’s a parody of black menace; it’s even posted on a white nationalist website as evidence of the film’s racial hierarchy.”

• Heaven has a wall: Grocery store ad mailer stirs controversy

  The current mailer includes a message that references the U.S./Mexico border wall controversy. It reads, ‘Heaven has a wall, a gate and a strict immigration policy. Hell has open borders. Let that sink in.’

• Germany: Church sued over Nazi bells in Thuringia

  The criminal complaint accuses the church of using six bells in five churches throughout Thuringia, including on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The unidentified plaintiff says he repeatedly asked the church to stop using the bells, but was ignored.

• Anti-Semitic acts hit France amid anti-government protests

  “Anti-Semitism is spreading like a poison, like a venom,” Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said while attending a ceremony at the memorial of a young Jewish man who was tortured to death in 2006.

• UN tells Belgium to apologise for its colonial past in Congo

  But the UN accused it of failing to provide critical analysis for some of its exhibits. It should remove all “offensive, racist” images that are still in display in the palatial 1910 building in the leafy suburb of Tervuren.

• Katy Perry’s fashion brand pulling shoes from sale amid ‘blackface’ concerns

  The items, known as “Rue Face Slip On Loafers” and “Ora Face Block Heel Sandals,” are reportedly part of a larger footwear line featuring faces on the tops of the shoes.

  The items also appear to come in different colors aside from black, including gold and beige.

  “The most offensive part is how ugly the shoes are,” [one] user tweeted.

• Jussie Smollett attack: Bottle with bleach odor found near attack location; ‘Empire’ actor submits phone records

  Smollett, 36, had told police that the attackers had poured an unknown, bleach-smelling liquid on him and put a noose around neck after yelling racist and homophobic slurs as he walked to Subway at about 2 a.m. Jan. 29 in the 300-block of East North Water Street.

• Orthodox Jewish housing association’s relief after discrimination case victory

  Agudas Israel Housing Association, who are based in Stamford Hill, were accused of breaking equality laws after listing a property which was specifically for members of their religious community.

• Call for Lords of Chaos film about suicide and satanism to be banned

  Church groups have, however, called for it to be banned following controversy over the role of online self-harm images in the death of Molly Russell, 14, who took her own life after viewing such images on Instagram.

• Gucci creative director says unintended racist imagery of $890 sweater causes him ‘grief’

  “We are putting in place a series of immediate actions across the world that will increase inclusivity, diversity, participation and cultural awareness at any level and in any workplace,” Michele said in his email. “We are truly committed in facing what happened as a crucial learning moment for everybody.”

Tags: daily outrage, linkpost