Walmart Makes ISIS Cake After Refusing Confederate Cake; Apologises Later

American retail chain Walmart has apologised for its “mistake” in making a cake containing the flag of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. A spokesman expressed regret at the error and blamed an ignorant staffer at a local store for having failed to recognise the image of ISIS.

"Our talented bakery associates take pride in what they create for our customers...this cake should not have been made and we apologise for the mistake," the spokesman said. The spokesman said one customer sought to take advantage of an associate who did not know the flag or its meaning.

Confederate Flag Cake

The so called mistake of Walmart had a short tale behind it. It started with the demand of a customer, Chuck Netzhammer, who insisted on baking a Confederate flag cake, but his request was turned down by a local store in Slidell, Louisiana. In a video, Netzhammer railed against the store for failing to honour his original order and asked whether the company supports the armed ISIS on which it made the cake. "That's an ISIS battle flag cake, which anybody can go and buy at Walmart, but you can't buy like a confederate flag toy, like a Dukes of Hazzard car," Netzhammer fumed with his camera focused on the cake.

Heritage Not Hate

Netzhammer also showed the rejection letter given to him by the store for his originally requested design which had the words "Heritage, not hate" across the Confederate flag. He also asked Walmart why the company is "alienating southern Americans". When his first order was rejected he went for another order. That is how the ISIS cake was made.

The Confederate flag is associated with the southern states that fought for retaining slavery during the American Civil War. The flag is now at the centre of a renewed controversy after 9 people were shot dead at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina by a young man, Dylann Roof, who is a self-styled White supremacist who posted his pictures online with the flag.

Since then, a number of companies, including Walmart, eBay, and Amazon have banned the sale of the flag and other merchandise using Confederate flag image, as authorities described them as a hate crime.

The Louisiana man put the local Walmart on the defensive over the choice of ISIS cake over that of Confedrate flag. “ISIS happens to be somebody who we're fighting against right now who are killing our men and boys overseas and beheading Christians.” Seeking an explanation from Walmart, the Louisiana man wanted Walmart to tell him why they made the second cake but not Confederate flag cake. His rage against discrimination was apparent.

(For feedback/comments, contact the writer at k.kumar@ibtimes.com.au)