Website pulls 'Paedophile Execution Squad' T-shirt from sale after a grandfather wears one to court case of an accused child sex offender
- Grandad Darren Nicholson wore a 'Paedophile Execution Squad' T-shirt to court
- The 52-year-old says he was fed up with seeing child sex offenders on the news
- Police say Mr Nicholson is not committing any crime just by wearing the T-shirt
- Online marketplace Redbubble has removed the T-shirt from sale on its website
This T-shirt was available online for $23.84 until Redbubble withdrew it this week
A 'Paedophile Execution Squad' T-shirt has been withdrawn from sale on a global online marketplace because it could incite hatred or violence.
Redbubble, which has offices in Melbourne and San Francisco, confirmed it had removed the T-shirt - which depicts a paedophile swinging from a tree - from its website.
The company banned the T-shirt after Daily Mail Australia published a story about grandfather Darren Nicholson who was photographed wearing a similar one outside a Queensland court.
That story received hundreds of comments from readers, many of whom wanted to know where they could buy the shirt.
Redbubble is an online marketplace for independent artists and all the images on its website are uploaded by independent third parties.
The company's in-house counsel and company secretary Paul Gordon said millions of items were for sale on the site at any time but the 'Pedophile Execution Squad' image was unacceptable.
'We've located the image referred to in the article and removed it from the website because it contravenes our user guidelines,' Mr Gordon said.
Grandfather-of-15 Darren Nicholson wearing his 'Paedophile Execution Squad' T-shirt. 'They're the lowest form of life on this earth,' he says. 'I'd rather have 10 taipans in my backyard'
Darren Nicholson, from Petrie in the Moreton Bay region north of Brisbane, believes paedophiles cannot be rehabilitated. 'That money should be spent on a .22 bullet,' he says
Scores of Facebook users wanted to know where they could buy a version of Darren Nicholson's Paedophile Execution Squad T-shirt. The Redbubble website banned the item
Redbubble's guidelines on images of violence and hatred state: 'Work that glorifies or trivializes violence is not permitted.'
'This includes graphic depictions of violence, works that trivialize violent acts, and work or behavior where the intent of the artist is to incite hatred or violence.'
Mr Nicholson had been overwhelmed by the reaction to his message, with scores of fans on social media asking where they could buy the T-shirt.
Some had noted that an almost identical design was available at Redbubble, in sizes small to XXX large for $23.84.
Hundreds of notes of support were posed on Facebook and Mr Nicholson told Daily Mail Australia he had been congratulated as he walked down the street.
'It's everybody - all works of life, mate,' the 52-year-old said. 'At the toy store, the local shops, down at the servo.
'It was just a big shock. Gee, she went off. They would have had a surge on them shirts up here.'
This T-shirt design was available online from Redbubble.com. Sizes listed from small to XXXL
Darren Nicholson was overwhelmed by the social media response to his vigilante-style T-shirt
Mr Nicholson proudly donned his well-worn T-shirt for the recent court appearance of a man charged with sexually abusing a Queensland girl.
'I just got sick of it,' Mr Nicholson said. 'I just got up, I thought bugger this, I'm going to the court house. You know, enough's enough.'
Mr Nicholson was initially reluctant to discuss the slogan because he did not want to be seen as a vigilante but the Queensland Police Service confirmed wearing the shirt was not a crime.
The former labourer had no intention of ever retiring his T-shirt, which he wore whenever he felt like it.
'I'll keep wearing it proudly,' he said.
'I just can't cop 'em mate,' says Darren Nicholson of paedophiles. 'I can't handle 'em. Women, kiddies, old people, animals, you just don't do it. It's wrong. There's a line there. It's not human'
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