Yahoo Lifestyle 
Amazon removes 'disturbing' Auschwitz-themed Christmas decorations
Amazon has removed a number of Auschwitz-themed Christmas ornaments from its site after being called out on social media.
The official Twitter account for the Auschwitz Museum called out the online retailer for listing Christmas decorations bearing the image of the Nazi concentration camp.
The items, listed by a seller on the Amazon site, includes fridge magnets, Christmas tree decorations and a bottle opener.
A representative for the Auschwitz Museum called the items “disturbing and disrespectful”, and called on Amazon to remove them.
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
Amazon responded within hours and removed the items in question.
But later the Auschwitz Twitter account found another couple of “disturbing” online products – a “massacre” mousepad depicting the concentration camp, and an ornament of a freight train transporting concentration camp prisoners for extermination.
It seems that @amazon has removed all of the "Christmas ornaments" with the images of the former Auschwitz camp. Thank you everyone for your activity and response. https://t.co/VGFnSDMWM9
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) December 1, 2019
Sadly, it is not over yet @amazon. The "Massacre Auschwitcz (!) Birkenau Jewish Death" mousepad is another disturbing online product. We are not sure if @yadvashem would like the "Christmas ornament" with a freight car used for deporting Jews for extermination either. https://t.co/qDEEzqzwSU pic.twitter.com/wXExhFZPmV
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) December 1, 2019
Another group of products - a mousepad with images from Birkenau and Christmas ornament with a freight train car from Yad Vashem has been removed from @amazon. Thank you to those who reacted, reported and put pressure here. https://t.co/hzJtMAJqNa pic.twitter.com/ZdbEIFoGeQ
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) December 2, 2019
In a statement to Yahoo UK, Amazon confirmed that the "products in question have been removed".
It added: "All sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who do not will be subject to action, including potential removal of their account.”
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum protects the site of the former German Nazi concentration camp, the largest of its kind, where over 1.1. million people lost their lives.
Last year more than 2 million people visited the site.
It isn’t the first example of Holocaust images being used inappropriately.
Last month, luxury fashion brand Loewe apologised for selling a striped pyjama-style garment that resembled a concentration camp uniform.
Words by Francesca Specter
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