BERLIN – Several large German companies, including carmaker BMW, have pulled their ads from U.S.-based news and opinion website Breitbart due to concerns about its content, following a similar move by cereal maker Kellogg’s.
The German boycott was spurred by a social media campaign using the hashtag #KeinGeldFuerRechts , which translates as “No Money for the Right.” The campaign urges companies to stop paying for ads on sites considered to promote racist and nationalist ideas.
A representative for Breitbart didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Deutsche Telekom said it regretted advertising on Breitbart, saying the ads hadn’t been placed there intentionally and it would blacklist the site from future campaigns. The telecoms giant said it “absolutely doesn’t tolerate discriminatory actions or statements.”
Supermarket group REWE, automaker BMW, Telefonica Deutschland, which is the mobile operator of O2, and restaurant chain Vapiano also told The Associated Press that they had stopped advertising on Breitbart and distanced themselves from the site.
“The positions held by Breitbart.com contrast with Vapiano’s values, such as openness and tolerance,” the company said.
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Last week’s decision by Kellogg’s to stop advertising on Breitbart prompted the website in turn to call for a boycott of the cereal maker.
Breitbart reportedly plans to open sites in France and Germany soon. Germany, which is expected to hold a general election in September, introduced restrictions on free speech after World War II to prevent a revival of Nazi ideology.
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