Ben Shapiro ridiculed on Twitter for video buying plank of protest wood at Home Depot

Atlanta-based company criticised for staying silent on state’s restrictive voting law

Ben Shapiro was ridiculed on Twitter after he posted a video of himself buying a plank of wood in support of under fire Home Depot.

The Georgia-based company has been heavily criticized by activists for remaining silent on the state’s restrictive new voting laws passed by Republicans following Democratic election wins there.

The company, unlike Coca-Cola and Delta, has stayed out of the issue and is facing calls for a boycott from religious leaders.

A group of clergy in the state called for the boycott after the company refused to meet with them to hear concerns about the voter restrictions, which critics say are designed to make it more difficult for people of colour in particular to cast their votes.

Right-wing commentators, like Mr Shapiro, have praised the company for staying out of politics.

Mr Shapiro posted an Instagram video encouraging his fans to shop at Home Depot, and came out of one of the company’s stores with just a short plank of wood sticking out of a small plastic bag.

“It’s funny to me that Ben Shapiro is such a stupid rich kid trying a fake man of the people act that he went to Home Depot and bough a piece of wood he doesn’t need & bagged it at self-checkout. Get some Command strips. those are always useful. or that Raid spray that stops ants,” tweeted 

“My man asked to put the single wooden board in a bag,” tweeted Hasanabi.

A Home Depot spokesperson said that the company had “decided that the most appropriate approach for us to take is to continue to underscore our statement that all elections should be accessible, fair and secure and support broad voter participation, and to continue to work to ensure our associates in Georgia and across the country have the information and resources to vote.”