Zazzle Removes Anti-Semitic T-Shirt After Backlash
On Sunday, after receiving numerous complaints regarding an anti-Semitic shirt that was sold on their website, Zazzle removed the item from the website.
The shirt, which was not designed by Zazzle itself, but by a user named "The Slesk Bazaar," according to The Jerusalem Post, was emblazoned, "At least I'm not Jewish." By Monday, none of the user’s products were listed on Zazzle. The Jerusalem Post noted of Zazzle, “A cached Google search showed that it had also been selling a shirt reading ‘At least I'm not Christian.’"
Zazzle tweeted, "We’ve immediately removed the products in question. Zazzle provides an open marketplace where designers can create and upload wide variety of products. When a product is brought to our attention that violates our terms of service, we take swift action to have the product removed."
According to the Jerusalem Post, Zazzle's website states that "acceptable content guidelines" include "no content that can reasonably be viewed as harassing, threatening, or otherwise harmful, no hate speech [and] no content that can reasonably be viewed as discriminatory based upon race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability … any products that are deemed unacceptable by the rules above, or deemed offensive or in bad taste at the sole judgment of Zazzle will have the products cancelled and removed from the Marketplace with or without notice."
Zazzle is still selling a shirt that accuses Israel of war crimes, however; one T-shirt on sale reads, “Being against Israel’s war crimes is not anti-Semitism.”
Zazzle is far from the only website that has been used by anti-Semites to sell their merchandise; Amazon has a number of options for buying Adolf Hitler’s virulently anti-Semitic book “Mein Kampf” as well as the equally virulent “Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion.”
In 2017, Amazon, Sears, and Walmart came under fire for selling merchandise that was hostile toward supporters of Israel. Sears and Walmart removed the merchandise. A spokesman for Sears told The Washington Free Beacon, "These items were being sold by a third-party seller via the Sears Marketplace. Given the feedback we’ve received, they are being removed," adding, "We believe we’re being unfairly singled out on this issue given that these same items are available on Amazon, Walmart.com, and eBay. It’s very important to note that we serve a broad base of customers around the country and around the world, and employ people around the world, including nearly 200 in Israel."
In 2012, Poland cracked down on a store selling anti-Semitic merchandise. Haaretzreported, “The Lodz District Attorney's Office filed the indictment Friday with the district court in that city. The store is accused of selling accessories such as scarves, T-shirts, lighters and shorts with slogans promoting racial hatred. Promoting racial hatred is illegal in Poland. Police on a search of the store uncovered merchandise containing anti-Semitic slogans. One scarf read 'Sidelock hunters.' Stickers read 'Anti Jude' and 'The Land of Widzew.' Jews not allowed."
