Americans Against Anti-Semitism has asked Amazon to remove from its platform more than 30 Nazi propaganda films that are available for purchase and streaming.
Israel Bitton, the watchdog group’s executive director, wrote an open letter to the online retail giant in which he listed the names of Nazi-produced films currently for sale via DVD on Amazon, or offered for rent or purchase via Amazon Prime Video.
“Amazon is a hotbed of Nazi propaganda. Literal, original, unadulterated Nazi propaganda that was produced in the Third Reich,” wrote Bitton. “Considering the severity of this issue and the need for speedy remedy, it’s my sincere hope you will look into it without unnecessary delay.”
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s associate dean and director of global social action, criticized Amazon for its “dangerous” selling of Nazi propaganda. He said in a released statement on Tuesday, “Is it legal to peddle Nazi propaganda that set the stage for the genocide of 6 million innocent Jews? Probably, but shame on Amazon for monetizing Jew-hatred at a time of surging anti-Semitism.”
He urged Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to “put a stop to it now.”
Amazon was criticized in 2019 for selling Christmas ornaments that featured images of the Auschwitz concentration camp. In 2020, the online retailer announced that it was banning a selection of Nazi-authored books, including most editions of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, and children’s books that incite anti-Jewish sentiment.
It was recently scrutinized in October for profiting from a book by the leader of a British far-right group who questioned the Holocaust.