German iTunes removes Nazi anthem

Apple removed the anthem of the Nazi Party from the German iTunes online music store.

The company on Wednesday removed the German marching song “Horst Wessel Lied,” the unofficial Nazi anthem, which was banned in Germany after World War II. It removed the song after the German newspaper Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung reported that it was available for sale online.

Amazon reportedly also removed the song from its songs available for download, according to the German online magazine Chip.

It is not the first time that Nazi songs have been available from the German iTunes, according to reports. 

“The removal of this Nazi theme from the iTunes store by Apple is an act of commendable sensitivity and corporate responsibility,” said Elan Steinberg, vice-president of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants, in a statement. “For Holocaust survivors the ‘Horst Wessel Lied’ 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,” Steinberg said.