Spanish fashion retailer Zara is ????? ?????? ???????? ????getting dragged on Twitter for selling a skirt featuring Pepe The Frog, an internet meme which has been adopted by neo-Nazis and serves as an icon of the white nationalist alt-right movement.
SEE ALSO: Pepe the Frog's creator: 'Pepe is love'The denim skirt -- which features two distinctly Pepe-like appliqué designs -- has been pulled from the Zara website following the controversy. Pepe The Frog was created by cartoonist Matt Furie in 2005 as a chilled out, friendly frog who led a simple life in a comic book. But it was eventually appropriated by trolls and hate groups online and was officially declared a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League in September 2016. The skirt was first spotted by Twitter user Meagan who was later trolled with an avalanche of alt-right Pepe memes.
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It's not the first time a symbol on Zara clothing has caused controversy. In 2014 Zara pulled a kids' T-shirt that bore a strong resemblance to a Nazi camp uniform.
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Some have vowed to shop elsewhere following the latest incident.
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Some called for an out-and-out boycott for the retailer.
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Some, however, were more offended by the fact that Zara didn't choose a more up-to-date meme for its skirt.
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Zara did not immediately respond to Mashable'srequest for comment.
UPDATE: April 19, 2017, 10:47 p.m. BST Statement from Zara spokesperson
In a statement emailed to Mashable, a spokesperson for Zara contested any link to the meme and said the skirt was part of a limited collection created through a collaboration with artist Mario de Santiago, known online as Yimeisgreat. "Mario explores social interactions through his work and in his own words: "The idea came from a wall painting I drew with friends some years ago." There is absolutely no link to the suggested theme," the spokesperson said.
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