Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum required online marketplace, Redbubble, to remove items May 7 and prohibit the selling of products bearing photos of the concentration camp located in Poland.
Products— including tight miniskirts, tote bags and throw pillows—contained images of the brutal Nazi death camp scene. Imprinted on the items for sale were photos of an electronic fence, guardhouse and train tracks that contributed to the murder of millions of Jews and other minorities during the Holocaust.
In response to the items, Auschwitz Memorial tweeted, “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.”
Redbubble quickly responded to the Auschwitz Memorial’s complaint by thanking them for bringing it to their attention and agreeing that the controversial items disobeyed the online company’s community and content guidelines.
.@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
The online retailer tweeted: “We are taking immediate action to remove these and similar works available on these product types.
According to the Washington Post, a Redbubble spokeswoman stated, “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,” the spokeswoman continued. “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.”
Since Redbubble users are authorized to upload their own innovative items, the online retailer does not approve each product before it becomes public on the site. Users are expected to responsibly upload items that align with the website’s guidelines.
Auschwitz Memorial continuously takes action to ensure that such an atrocity is respected, and survivors are protected.
