Is Asda guilty of jumping on the bandwagon here?

[OneDrop]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/asd...cy-1363086

With a direct response to the recent allegations against Sir Jimmy Saville, Asda supermarkets have removed the Jimmy Saville costume from their clothing lines.

Are Asda guilty of prejudging Sir Jimmy and succumbing to social and media pressure? Have they let themselves down here or is it the right move seeing as Sir Jimmy is deceased and cannot defend himself?

[Kit Fang]

I think they probably made the right decision - it's sensitive to the allegations against him, not saying they think he is guilty or not. Also, Asda doesn't want the negative publicity that would result from them continuing to sell the items, and the potential drop in profits that would bring.

That said, everyone seems to have decided that the man is guilty regardless - the BBC especially are pretty much reporting it as fact, rather than allegations. Then again we live in a society where innocent until proven guilty seems to no longer exist in the media. He may very well have been a paedophile, but it's the job of the police and the courts to decide who is guilty, not journalists.

[Guy]

Like it would make any difference if he was a live. How many people have come forward? His word against so many. The rumours were out years ago. People came forward years ago. It was not taken seriously. I have absolutely no doubt he was involved in child sex abuse.

[RichB]

I don't know why they need to axe the costume, they just need to move it to the Halloween section.

Joking aside, it's amazing how quick people are to judge. The ITV doc went out only last week, and already people are trying to erase him from history: plaques and statues removed, cafes renamed, costumes removed from sale.

Whatever the truth of the allegations (and they are just allegations at this stage), Jim is innocent until proven guilty and is no longer alive to defend himself. The FACTS we know about Savile are that he was a much loved entertainer, and that he raised tens of millions for charity during his lifetime.

And now the hospital he raised so much money for is asked to rename his cafe, due to pressure from a few paediatrician-hangers? What are they going to call it, the Esther Rantzen cafe?

I have to wonder, though, why all the people who paid such loving tributes to him in the programmes after his death last year are so silent now. Only his blood relatives seem to be making a fuss. Why aren't the great and the good crying from the rooftops to defend Sir Jimmy's honour and reputation?

[David Harrison.]

They have done the right thing.No-one would have bought them anyway. Its very easy in our society to blacken someones name.The same thing happens to me on these very pages,so I have personal experience of it. An odd suggestion,an insult here and there.
But I am alive to shoot my insulter's down in flames,eh jack ! Sir Jim is not.

[Peppers_Ghost]

Asda is not a jury.

Selling anything 'saville' related at the moment is a risky venture
although I agree, the allegations are just that... allegations
Asda have a responsibility to their shareholders, not to the finer points of british law

[jack lewis]

No its pointless keeping them who would buy one? Rich there are loads of claims and many who suspected him and some witnesses a legal expert has said there was a case to answer if he was alive.When it comes to child abuse we can't just use he not here to defend himself argument there are lives which could of been ruined a institution like the BBC needs to answer a lot of questions also there are other celebs which have been pointed out so there needs to be a criminal investigation.

[Al Capone]

apparently Asda have replaced it with a Pedobear costume

[Monkey Spanker]

It's a purely commercial decision.

[groovymaude]

As someone s,said in that article ' I'm amazed it even exiss'' I'm sure they never sold many. better to get rid and make way for some stock that someone, somewhere might actually want. if you really felt the need to dress up as him, I'm also sure there are plenty of tacky tracksuits in charity shops up and down the country.