The world's largest technology companies continue their downward slide in the fight against antisemitic content, as a new investigation exposes blatant sales of merchandise supporting a terrorist organization and one of history's most notorious antisemitic texts.
British Jewish newspaper Jewish News revealed this week that British commerce sites of Amazon and Etsy sell t-shirts supporting the organization Palestine Action, which was declared a terrorist organization in Britain last month.
The shirts, sold for prices starting at 12.99 pounds ($16.40), bear the slogan "We are all Palestine Action" and are available in children's sizes starting from age three. The organization operated against British military bases and attacked sites of Israeli defense companies and even Jewish organizations connected to Israel.
On the platform Etsy, similar shirts sell alongside boycott Israel stickers, available in packages of 25 or 1,000 units. One buyer wrote on the network, "Excellent item. Haven't been arrested yet, but the message is clear and sharp. Thank you."
Simultaneously, it was discovered that Apple's digital bookstore – Apple Books – sells the notorious antisemitic text "Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion" for only 49 pence ($0.62) on its British site. The text, written by Russian author Sergei Nilus in 1905, is considered a forgery that led to the spreading of antisemitic conspiracy theories about global Jewish control and media manipulation. Many historians view it as responsible for spreading Jewish hatred, and it was used in Nazi propaganda. The book's description on the site encourages readers to "read and decide for themselves" whether the book is "truth or hoax," and contains additional conspiracy claims about Jews and the October Revolution in Russia.
British Parliament member Matthew Patrick from the Labour party sent a sharp letter to Apple's representative, writing, "Protocols of the Elders of Zion is the most famous antisemitic text ever created. It was central in spreading belief in an international Jewish conspiracy and was used by the Nazis for exactly that purpose."
Patrick added that "the rise of antisemitism is a defining moment in modern history. Without determined action, the world risks entering a new dark era where antisemitism will be approved again, allowed to spread, and become institutionalized." Additionally, he called on Apple to act like bookstore chain Blackwells, which removed the book from sale in 2022.
