Following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer and the ongoing nationwide protests the killing has sparked, reports began circulating that Lego asked its affiliate marketing partners to stop promoting a number of law enforcement-related toy sets.
According to Toy Book, an email sent by Rakuten Linkshare on behalf of the Lego Group requested the company’s partners to remove product listings for more than 30 products, including the Lego City Police Station, Mobile Command Center and Police Highway Arrest sets.
The Lego City Donut Shop Opening and The White House sets also made the removal list.
LEGO sent an email asking that police/fire/whitehouse (and donut shop) sets no longer be marketed effective immediately. pic.twitter.com/ydFE7dGTGA
— Anti-Fascist Kingdom (@stitchkingdom) June 2, 2020
Toy Book reached out to Lego for comment and a company spokesperson did respond.
“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,” the spokesperson said. “We regret any misunderstanding and will ensure that we are clearer about our intentions in the future.” The company also clarified its stance on Twitter.
Lego also announced it would donate $4 million to organizations “dedicated to supporting black children and educating all children about racial equality.”
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