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Yellow-star Holocaust T-shirts removed from Amazon

The Holocaust Educational Trust said: ‘The Holocaust was not something to create merchandise for profit’

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A novelty t-shirt emblazoned with a yellow star and the German for 'Jew' has been removed from Amazon after the online retailer faced fresh criticism from a leading Holocaust educational group.

The item, previously marketed on the platform by the manufacturer Never Again Co at £14.99, was described as a “Remembrance Gift” and a way to “honor the victims of Holocaust” [sic].

A spokesperson for Amazon said on Tuesday: “All sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who do not will be subject to action including potential removal of their account. The product in question is no longer available.”

The move comes just a day after Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, told the Jewish Chronicle: “Time and time again we have made clear to Amazon that selling items which trivialise the Holocaust are unacceptable. It is incomprehensible that this item would be sold under ‘novelty’ t-shirts.

“The Holocaust was not something to create merchandise for profit, it was the systematic murder of six million Jewish men, women and children. This item needs to be removed - and once again we implore Amazon to take this issue seriously and re-evaluate its policies.”

Former EastEnders actress Tracy Ann Oberman also appeared to criticise Amazon on Monday, tweeting: “Is this a joke? @AmazonHelp. Bring out some novelty Slave Manacles whilst you’re at it.”

This is the latest incident involving Amazon to provoke anger in the community, with the website forced to take down several Nazi propaganda books in February after sparking a backlash. 

In addition to e-commerce, Amazon drew controversy earlier this year over its fictionalised portrayal of the Holocaust in its series Hunters which involved a scene depicting a game of human chess.

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