Amazon has removed from its online store several Christmas ornaments depicting the Auschwitz concentration camps following backlash from Auschwitz Memorial.
Amazon decided to remove a number of Christmas ornaments featuring images of the Auschwitz camps after the Auschwitz Memorial tweeted about them. A variety of tree ornaments, as well as a mouse pad and bottle opener, featuring images of the Nazi death camp complex were on sale.
Auschwitz Memorial described the products as "disturbing and disrespectful." Among the images used in the products were the train tracks leading to the entrance of Auschwitz II-Birkenau and scenes inside the camps, where about 1 million Jewish people are estimated to have been killed during World War II.
Amazon pulled out these products, which were being offered by third-party sellers on the platform. Most of these sellers were offering products that depict tourism sites across the globe.
One of the third-party companies selling these products was also selling a Christmas ornaments that featured the Genbaku Dome on the Hiroshima bomb site.
In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson said: "All sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who do not will be subject to action, including potential removal of their account. The products in question have been removed."
This was not the first incident that Amazon was forced to remove products from its online marketplace. Earlier this year, it was prompted to remove several products because of complaints that they were offensive to Muslims.
Similarly, the company was forced to take down several anti-vaccination documentaries from its Amazon Prime Video streaming services following a CNN Business report. In an open letter to Amazon chief executive officer (CEO) Jeff Bezos, US Rep. Adam Schiff said he is concerned "that Amazon is surfacing and recommending" anti-vaccination books and movies.
These documentaries include "We Don't Vaccinate!," "Shoot 'Em Up: The Truth About Vaccines," and "Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe."
