Fed chair calls for ‘offensive’ t-shirts to be withdrawn

23 June 2020

National Federation chair John Apter says he is disgusted that ‘deeply offensive’ t-shirts with the logo ‘Blue lives murder’ are being sold on Amazon.

He has written to Doug Gurr, managing director of Amazon in the UK, asking him to immediately halt the sale of the t-shirts which also feature a graphic suggesting police brutality.

John explains: “In recent weeks, we have rightly praised my colleagues for their outstanding bravery and courage and for saving lives. I was therefore disgusted to see these products being sold on an Amazon platform. These items are deeply offensive, not only to police officers but to many members of the public. 

“I have raised this matter directly with the Home Secretary and she is as appalled as the entire police family is about these products.”

He adds: “The ball is now firmly in Amazon’s court and I am asking the company to do the right thing and remove them from sale immediately.”

Helen Collier, secretary of Humberside Police Federation, has supported the national chair’s stance.

“I am pleased that John has contacted Amazon,” she says, “These t-shirts are offensive to police officers across the UK who have been working tirelessly during the pandemic, putting their own lives at risk. They are just an insult to our hard-working members who are dedicated to serving their communities.”