Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, sent an email to global employees Aug. 16 calling for unity and condemning President Donald Trump's response to recent violence in Charlottesville, Va., BuzzFeed News reports.
"Equality is at the core of my beliefs and values. … Hate is a cancer, and left unchecked it destroys everything in its path. … This is not about the left or the right, conservative or liberal. It is about human decency and morality," Mr. Cook wrote in the email, obtained by BuzzFeed.
Mr. Cook continued, "I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights. Equating the two runs counter to our ideals as Americans. … As a company, through our actions, our products and our voice, we will always work to ensure that everyone is treated equally and with respect."
Mr. Cook also wrote Apple will donate $1 million, each, to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. He will match employee donations to both organizations and others two-for-one until Sept. 30.
The news follows reports the company cut off its Apple Pay service for three websites that sold Nazi and white nationalist apparel Aug. 16, the report states.
To read Mr. Cook's email to Apple employees, click here.