Amazon removed 26 Nazi films following the publication of a report showing more than 30 Nazi films were available on the platform.
In a January 14 press release, the Americans Against Antisemitism (AAA) watchdog noted that 23 such DVDs cannot be found on the platform and neither can three on Amazon Prime. AAA, which initially released the report about the films, stated that “a handful of cited films were deemed not problematic since the subject matter isn’t directly related to WWII and the Holocaust” and that “the very worst Nazi films” were removed.
“We’re truly pleased that Amazon ultimately took the sweeping and broad action that was necessary to ensure Prime Cinemas didn’t become Nazi Cinemas,” AAA head Dov Hikind, a former New York Democratic Assemblyman said in a statement. “Removing 26 films entirely from their website is no small feat, so it’s reassuring to see we’re on the same page in terms of the types of hateful contents that clearly have no place on any mainstream platform. A great relief.”
He added: “Clearly, Amazon heard our collective calls and read our organization’s report, item by item, and despite the horror of discovering such a problem on a platform that plays such an outsized roles in our lives. It’s 2022 and lots of weird things have been happening in the past few years but, thankfully, normalizing and mainstreaming Nazi propaganda films isn’t one of them.”
Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action Agenda of the Simon Wiesenthal Center Rabbi Abraham Cooper similarly said in a statement, “In 2022, as we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the 80th anniversary of the Wannsee Conference that sealed the fate of six million Jews, and as violent anti-Semitism continues to rage, we have the obligation to demand accountability. This week, we protested to Amazon, and they did the right thing. With your help, we will continue to demand accountability wherever Jew-hatred threatens.” The Wiesenthal Center had sent their own letter to Amazon about the matter.
The AAA press release concluded by noting that “one highly problematic film” remains on Amazon: “Forces Occultes” (Hidden Forces). The product description for the film on its Amazon page states that it’s “one of the most extreme anti-semitic, anti-masonic propaganda films ever made.” A spokesperson for Amazon told the Journal that “Forces Occultes” has since been removed. Additionally, the propaganda film “Triumph of the Will” that was removed from Amazon still remains on Apple TV and Vudu. “Next week we’ll resume our mission and we will not stop until these last problematic Nazi films… are removed,” the press release stated.
After the press release was published, a spokesperson from Vudu told the Journal that “Triumph of the Will” is no longer available on their platform.
