Pro-Palestinian Bluey shirt removed after BBC warning
A kids’ T-shirt showing the beloved Bluey cast wearing Palestinian scarves has been removed for sale after the show’s commercial owners said it was a counterfeit product, and criticised the ‘unauthorised use’ of its characters.
A kids’ T-shirt showing the Bluey cast wearing Palestinian scarfs has been taken down from an online marketplace after the commercial owners of the children’s show said it was a counterfeit product, and criticised the “unauthorised use” of the Australian children’s character.
A leading civil rights group fighting anti-Semitism claimed the print “exploited a much-loved Australian children’s icon” for a “warped … cause”.
The “Freedom Fighter Bluey” T-shirt, created by Australian volunteer organisation Free Palestine Printing, showed the children’s character Bluey and his friends wearing keffiyeh, and holding Palestinian flags with a banner that reads “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”.
“This is an unlicensed seller, and counterfeit product,” a BBC Studios spokesman said, before the product was taken down on Monday afternoon.
While the ABC has the Australian broadcast rights to Bluey, which was originally developed by the public broadcaster, the BBC owns the global commercial and broadcast rights to the children’s show.
All the proceeds of sales from Free Palestine Printing products “go to supporting Palestine”, the website states.
The T-shirt was made in both kids and adult sizes, unlike other shirts sold on the website, with Chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission Dvir Abramovich saying it was “weaponising” kids to spread a “hateful agenda”.
“These agents of division are corrupting our children’s hearts and minds and are exploiting a much-loved Australian children’s icon that represents kindness, fun and innocence, for their warped, ugly cause,” he said.
Free Palestine Printing was contacted for comment.
In Brisbane, pro-Palestine supporters stormed a defence and aerospace manufacturing company, carrying banners reading “Stop arming Israel” and “Ferra spreads terror”.
The Brisbane-based defence parts supplier, Ferra Holdings, provide specialised military aviation, defence and automotive products for international defence forces and Boeing.
In November last year, Israel announced it was stockpiling spare parts for its F-35 ‘Adir’ fighter jet.
A statement from the protest group said Ferra “makes essential parts for bombs currently deployed by Israel against Palestinian civilians”.
Ferra Holdings has been approached for comment.
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