Holocaust charities campaigners succeeded in stopping Amazon from selling editions of Hitler’s memoir, “Mein Kampf”, and other Nazi propaganda books from its store.
Booksellers were informed in recent days that they would no longer be allowed to sell a number of Nazi-authored books on the website including Hitler’s autobiographical screed and children’s books designed to spread antisemitic ideas among children.
Leading Holocaust education charities and Jewish groups have been campaigning since the late 1990s to stop Amazon from selling copies of “Mein Kampf” but the retailer had traditionally defended the right of free speech and the need for students to understand Hitler’s thinking when it comes to selling a book which is legal to publish.
Dozens of cheap Kindle eBook editions of “Mein Kampf” have also been deleted from Amazon’s listings, along with Hitler’s Amazon author page, which encouraged individuals to follow for author updates and for information on new releases.
Other Nazi publications including the children’s book The Poisonous Mushroom written by Nazi publisher Julius Streicher, who was later executed for crimes against humanity after running the Nazi “Der Stürmer” newspaper, have also recently removed from Amazon’s listings.
Foreign-language academic editions of “Mein Kampf” are available on Amazon’s UK bookstore, including an expensive heavily-annotated German edition entitled: A Critical Edition.
An Amazon spokesperson did not comment on what had prompted the effective ban on “Mein Kampf”, with the book listings simply replaced by a picture of a dog.
“As a bookseller, we provide customers with access to a variety of viewpoints, including titles that serve an important educational role in understanding and preventing antisemitism. All retailers make decisions about what selection they choose to offer and we do not take selection decisions lightly”.