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Lego praised after donating $4 million to black youth and pulling ads for police and white house toy sets

Jun 4, 2020, 19:29 IST
Insider
Danish toy production company Lego logo seen in Shenzhen.Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
  • Lego announced the company plans to donate $4 million to organizations that support black children, on Wednesday.
  • "We stand with the black community against racism and inequality," the company wrote on Twitter.
  • The company also told affiliates that it would pull advertising for cop-related sets "in response to the tragic events in the US."
  • Many praised the company's response.
  • The move comes after more than a week of protests over the death of George Floyd after an ex-officer kneeled on his neck in Minneapolis.
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LEGO, has received much praise online after announcing that they'll donate $4 million to support black children on Wednesday.

"We stand with the black community against racism and inequality," the Dutch toy production company said. "There is much to do. We will donate $4 million to organizations dedicated to supporting black children and educating all children about racial equality."

Some online have called for other big brands to follow suit.

"Legos have always been the superior toy," one tweet read.

According to ToyBook, the company also asked affiliates to remove "product listings and features for more than 30 LEGO building sets, Minifigures, and accessories that include representation of police officers, firefighters, criminals, emergency vehicles, and buildings."

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In a statement to ToyBook a spokesperson elaborated on the move, saying it was in response to George Floyd's killing and the protests that follow in its wake.

"We requested that our affiliate partners refrain from posting promotional LEGO content as part of our decision to respect #BlackOutTuesday and pause posting content on our social media channels in response to the tragic events in the US," a spokesperson said. "We regret any misunderstanding and will ensure that we are clearer about our intentions in the future."

While some praised the move, others were critical of the decision and believed it was only temporary.

"People are reading this tweet as if they're pulling police-based LEGO products. They're not; they're temporarily pausing their advertising of such products," one tweet read.

It's not clear yet if that means the company plans to pull the products off the market, and Lego did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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Lego's decisions came as the protests continued across the US over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. Floyd, a black man, became unresponsive and died after an ex-officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes. After more than a week of protests, all four officers who were involved in the incident have been charged and booked.

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