Jewish organisations have applauded the decision by technology company Apple to remove a Nazi “anthem of evil” from sale in the ITunes store.

Until now Apple users could buy a version of the notorious marching anthem “Horst Wessel Lied” on the website.

The song, banned in Germany after the Holocaust, is dedicated to a Nazi supporter who died in 1930. It subsequently became a signature tune of the Nazi regime.

A spokesman for Apple Germany said the song was no longer on sale, however there are still concerns about the availability of other Nazi-related tracks on the site.

Elan Steinberg, vice-president of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants, said the decision was “an act of commendable sensitivity and corporate responsibility”.

Mr Steinberg added: “For Holocaust survivors the [song] reawakens the trauma and monstrous expression of Nazi persecution and brutality. It is an anthem of evil.

“We urge other companies to be vigilant against other efforts to circulate Nazi themes and symbols through the new technologies available in our digital world.”