Online retailer to pull ‘disrespectful’ Auschwitz mini-skirt, cushion and tote
Images of the items priced between £11 and £35 circulated on social media
An online retailer has promised to pull “disrespectful” items printed with images of Auschwitz from its website following controversy on social media.
An Auschwitz-themed mini-skirt, cushion and tote bag were among the items available for purchase on the website Redbubble, based in Australia.
Images of the items priced between £11 and £35 circulated on social media, prompting Auschwitz Memorial to report the merchandise to Redbubble.
“Do you really think that selling such products as pillows, mini skirts or tote bags with the images of Auschwitz – a place of enormous human tragedy where over 1,1 million people were murdered – is acceptable?” the memorial tweeted. “This is rather disturbing and disrespectful.”
.@redbubble Do you really think that selling such products as pillows, mini skirts or tote bags with the images of Auschwitz – a place of enormous human tragedy where over 1,1 million people were murdered – is acceptable? This is rather disturbing and disrespectful. pic.twitter.com/cdPvZGMXC6
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) May 7, 2019
Redbubble said it was taking immediate action to remove the items and any similar products.
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. The nature of this content is not acceptable and is not in line with our Community Guidelines,” Redbubble wrote.
The memorial later shared another screenshot of a t-shirt available on the site, depicting a bearded man in a top hat pointing towards the observer, with the caption “Dr Holocaust wants you to get a beard.”
Auschwitz Memorial tweeted: “We have been wondering @redbubble if ‘the nature of this content’ is also ‘not acceptable’ for you and is ‘not in line with your Community Guidelines’? We wish to bring this to your attention.”
A spokesperson for the retailer said: “Redbubble takes a strong stance against racism and violence, including the atrocities committed in Nazi concentration camps, and scan specifically for this type of content daily.
“We have taken immediate action to remove the works identified by The Auschwitz Memorial, and apologize that it was necessary.
“We are continuously working to ensure that we are able to keep offending content of this nature off of Redbubble and will be further adjusting our policies moving forward.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
