Amazon removes Nazi-themed goods from its store

Amazon was quizzed about why it allowed the right-wing groups to sell on its store

Amazon has removed products bearing Nazi and white supremacist symbols from its online store.

The retailer faced criticism for letting sellers offer a variety of far right-wing paraphernalia including clothing and jewellery.

Politicians and organisations that track hate groups identified several sellers offering the goods via Amazon.

Amazon said it had blocked the sellers, removed the items and was now checking for other similarly-themed goods.

Product promotion

Onesies with burning cross motifs, jewellery using the Nazi swastika as well as music and audio books pushing fascist views were found on Amazon's store.

In a report released last month, the Partnership for Working Families and the Action Center on Race and the Economy said Amazon was helping Nazi and modern white nationalist groups prosper by letting them sell their merchandise and materials.

It said Amazon had a history of responding "slowly" to reports about these types of goods.

The report prompted Congressman Keith Ellison from Minnesota to write to Amazon expressing his "alarm" that it was allowing the sale of "products that promote hateful and racist ideologies".

Brian Huseman, Amazon's vice-president in charge of public policy, wrote back to Mr Ellison detailing the steps it had taken to remove the goods highlighted by the non-profit organisations.

Some of the goods were removed before it received Mr Ellison's letter, said Mr Huseman. Others were now in the process of being removed.

As well as stopping items being listed and blocking sellers, Amazon said it was now working to get the items removed from its fulfilment centres.

It said it used automated methods as well as teams of investigators to scan listings looking for items that break its policies or national laws covering hate speech, violence or racial intolerance.

In addition, it said, it responded to reports from customers about listings that broke these laws.