WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Amazon said Monday it has removed “Christmas ornaments” and other merchandise bearing the images of Auschwitz that had been available on its online site. Amazon, which functions as a marketplace on top of selling products itself, said in a statement that “all sellers must follow our selling guidelines” and that those who do not will be removed. The move comes after the Auschwitz-Birkenau state museum on Sunday appealed to Amazon to remove the merchandise, which also included an Auschwitz bottle opener and a Birkenau “massacre” mouse pad. It said that, “Selling ‘Christmas ornaments’ with images of Auschwitz does not seem appropriate. Auschwitz on a bottle opener is rather disturbing and disrespectful.” Many others on Twitter voiced outrage.
Selling “Christmas ornaments” with images of Auschwitz does not seem appropriate. Auschwitz on a bottle opener is rather disturbing and disrespectful. We ask @amazon to remove the items of those suppliers. https://t.co/0uG2JG558e pic.twitter.com/ucZoTWPk1W
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) December 1, 2019
On Monday, the state memorial said it was still calling on another online outlet, Wish Shopping, to stop selling the products. Nazi Germany killed 1.1 million people at the death camp, most of them Jews, during its occupation of Poland during World War II. It’s not the first time Amazon has had to pull offensive products sold on its site. In the past year, it has removed toilet seat covers and bath mats that featured photos of sacred Sikh temples or Islamic calligraphy and verses from the Quran, the holy Muslim holy book.
