The website makes no mention of the Holocaust - or anything negative about Hitler - on its page for the book, but does say: “Time magazine selected him as one of the 100 figures who had the greatest impact on the history of humanity in the 20th century.”
Now the local Labour Party in Hyde Park and Paddington are under fire for posting about the bookshop.
In a now-deleted post on X, the group said: “Knowledge is key. It was wonderful to visit the new Aafaq bookstore.
“We thanked the owner for the beautiful layout of the store and discussed concerns raised by local residents about a publication on the shelves.”
Without mentioning Mein Kampf, Hitler or the Nazis, the local party account added: “After listening to the community’s concerns, the store removed the publication put up a public notice. Sometimes, simple dialogue and understanding can help prevent hate and division in our community.”
The post was accompanied by a photograph of a notice in the window of Aafaq that said a “particular title” had been removed from sale.
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The notice said: “At Aafaq Bookstore, we value the views and concerns of our customers and the local community. After concerns were raised regarding a particular title, we reviewed the matter and decided to remove the book from sale. We remain committed to providing a welcoming bookstore for everyone in our community.”
It did not mention the name of the book, nor the Holocaust.
Another post from the Labour group went on to suggest it was the actions of Labour councillors that led to the book being removed: “Resident concern resolved! We get things done!”
“In consideration of the community’s concerns,” the post said, adding a love heart emoji and stating that a resident had told the party, “‘that is so fantastic. Thank you again for everything.’ Knowledge is key… thank you to our residents and local businesses; we learn something new every day.”
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In a response to the JC, a spokesperson for Aafaq said it “held only three copies,” of Mein Kampf, “stacked together among other books on a table at the rear of the bookshop, approximately 18 metres from the entrance, in premises with a total depth of approximately 20 metres. The table contained predominantly history books.
“The three copies represented our standard minimum opening-stock quantity for individual titles and did not reflect any particular prominence or anticipated demand for this book. No copies of Mein Kampf were sold.
“The presence of a controversial historical text in a bookshop should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its contents or ideology. Aafaq unequivocally rejects Nazi ideology, antisemitism, racism and all forms of hatred.
“We would also like to make clear that the proximity of the bookstore to a synagogue had no bearing whatsoever on the decision to stock the title. The location of nearby places of worship was not a factor in our stocking decisions.”
The Labour Party and Aafaq Bookstore were contacted for comment.
