According to info provided to the Washington Free Beacon by a watchdog organization, Americans Against Anti-Semitism, a group that combats bigotry and hate, researchers found 30 Nazi-era propaganda films that could be bought and streamed in their entirety on the platform without any editorial explanation or disclaimers.
"Amazon is presently the world's largest purveyor of original Nazi propaganda films—something Hitler and Goebbels would surely have been grateful for," the group noted in a statement, going on to demand that Amazon take down the films immediately from the platform.
The Free Beacon adds:
The group released an open letter online, which includes a full list of the Nazi titles available. They include Der ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew), The Rothschilds' Shares in Waterloo, and Jud Süss (Suss the Jew), among many others. The films are either on sale in Amazon's online portal or available for streaming on its Amazon Prime video network.
The platform, which has banned the sale of Confederate flags but allows fascist "anti-fascist" Antifa emblems and flags to be sold online, has been slapped with allegations of anti-Semitism in the past.
For example, in 2019 the platform was busted selling Christmas ornaments that contained photos of Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi death camp where millions of Jews were systematically murdered. And in 2020, the e-tailer giant made the decision to stop selling items and works by Ku Klux Klan leaders, Adolph Hitler and other notable anti-Semites after originally committing to do so. Amazon "reversed its stance amid a flurry of criticism that it was helping to spread anti-Jewish sentiment," The Free Beacon added.
Former New York City Democratic lawmaker Dov Hikind, founder of Americans Against Anti-Semitism, demanded that Amazon clarify its policy regarding such films. And though the First Amendment protects even hateful speech, he added that Amazon ought to be ashamed that it allows itself and others to profit from the materials.
"It's beyond unacceptable," Hikind said. "I don't believe this is an issue that needs debating, it's so clear-cut, so indefensible that we expect Amazon to correct this horrifying hate-for-profit scheme immediately.
"Frankly, they should be ashamed of themselves for allowing so much hate to literally stream through their platforms. There is no excuse for it, I don't care what they say," he added.
The discovery of the Nazi propaganda films comes amid a global rise in violence directed against Jews, the outlet reported. In an October report, the American Jewish Committee, which keeps track of anti-Semitic violence and incidents, said that almost one-in-four American Jews reported that they had experienced an anti-Semitic incident at some point in 2021. That report followed the largest study ever of Jewish Americans as well as U.S. public opinion regarding anti-Semitism.
"Antisemitism has remained a constant in the lives of many American Jews," the American Jewish Committee noted in a summary of findings. Jews have been "beaten in city streets, subjected to hateful vitriol, and intimidated on social media."
In addition, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has also documented a notable rise in anti-Jewish sentiment.
"Anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. doubled compared to 2020," the commission reported in June. "The Anti-Defamation League recorded 251 incidents, including assault, vandalism, and harassment, from May 11 to May 31, which is a 115 percent increase from the same time period in 2020."
The increase in incidents also includes a major increase in anti-Semitic language online including on major platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
"These incidents of hate and fearmongering undermine freedom of religion guaranteed within the United States Constitution," the commission reported. "The spike in anti-Semitism cannot be normalized as political rhetoric."
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