Online retailer to pull ‘disrespectful’ Auschwitz mini-skirt, cushion and tote

An online retailer has promised to pull “disrespectful” items printed with images of Auschwitz from its website following controversy on social media.

An Auschwitz-themed mini-skirt, cushion and tote bag were among the items available for purchase on the website Redbubble, based in Australia.

Images of the items priced between £11 and £35 circulated on social media, prompting Auschwitz Memorial to report the merchandise to 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?” the memorial tweeted. “This is rather disturbing and disrespectful.”

Redbubble said it was taking immediate action to remove the items and any similar products.

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. The nature of this content is not acceptable and is not in line with our Community Guidelines,” Redbubble wrote.  

The memorial later shared another screenshot of a t-shirt available on the site, depicting a bearded man in a top hat pointing towards the observer, with the caption “Dr Holocaust wants you to get a beard.”

Auschwitz Memorial tweeted: “We have been wondering @redbubble if ‘the nature of this content’ is also ‘not acceptable’ for you and is ‘not in line with your Community Guidelines’? We wish to bring this to your attention.”

A spokesperson for the retailer said: “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.

“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.”