A Christmas product was pulled from Australian shelves Friday after appearing to celebrate an Islamic terrorist group, ABC 7 News reported.
Kmart stores sold a Christmas-themed drawstring bag for hams with the phrase “Merry Ham-Mas” written in a cheery, seasonal font, according to ABC 7 News. The text closely resembles the name of the terror group responsible for the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel.
“We got it wrong on this occasion, and we apologize unreservedly,” a Kmart spokesperson said, ABC reported. “When designing this product we clearly didn’t think through all the implications and the product has been removed from sale”
The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) first condemned the ham bags, the outlet reported. Wesfarmers corporate was contacted by the group, who suggested ceasing the product’s sale. (RELATED: Doctor’s Office Meant To Text Patients’Merry Christmas.’ Instead Told Them They Had ‘Aggressive Lung Cancer’)
“Although this is potentially funny (the AJA committee has tossed around some non-PC jokes) it’s really not a good look,” the AJA wrote Wednesday on Twitter. “We suspect some product manager may cause the company some embarassment.”
K-MART STUFF-UP!
Check out the special Christmas bag currently available via K-Mart online. Yes, it’s real!!
Although this is potentially funny (the AJA committee has tossed around some non-PC jokes) it’s really not a good look.
We suspect some product manager may cause the… pic.twitter.com/vGswVvvNG6
— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) November 8, 2023
Kmart “senior management” responded to the group’s concerns, announcing that the “Ham-Mas” bag was “being pulled out from the website and all stores,” the outlet reported.
Ham is commonly served cold for Christmas in Australia. The joke wording on the ham bag has been around for a long time, and has been seen before the Oct. 7 attacks waged by Hamas, according to a fact check on the AJA’s post.