(JTA) — as Anti-Semitic books and movies promoted by NBA star Kyrie Irving The e-commerce giant is under pressure from Jewish groups to remove titles from its website as social media continues to dominate Amazon’s bestseller list.
The company is now considering adding a disclaimer to the film. According to the New York Times.
The Anti-Defamation League sent a letter to Amazon on Friday on behalf of itself and Irving’s team, the Brooklyn Nets, urging the company to remove “a violently anti-Semitic book and associated video” or attack them. asked to label with a note about content.
“This book and film are designed to incite hatred and, now that they have been disseminated by Mr. Irving, will lead directly to harm to Jews,” the letter said. According to the Washington Post“These views are not a different view of history, but blatant anti-Semitic hate. It amplifies the anti-Semitic trope.”
On Monday, another major Jewish organization, the Jewish Committee of America, asked Amazon to address the issue by removing books and movies.
AJC CEO Ted Ducci said in a statement: “To effectively combat anti-Semitism, business leaders must recognize what anti-Semitism is and take decisive action to combat it. “Amid controversy over Kyrie Irving’s sharing of anti-Semitic and Holocaust denial-filled film, Amazon acts swiftly to remove this overtly hateful material.” that is important.”
About a week ago Irving posted a link to an Amazon page. A documentary based on the book of the same name, Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. Since then, the film has become a bestseller, surpassing all documentaries on Amazon Video. On IMDb, a popular movie database owned by Amazon, the movie currently has 370 reviews. A February title snapshot of his page shows that there were only eight reviews at the time.
Meanwhile, a related book was Amazon’s 78th bestseller overall and second in the Christian education category as of Monday.
“From the Hebrews to the Negroes” The idea that the true descendants of ancient Israelites are modern African Americans And Jews today falsely claim their ancestry. It also contains a range of other anti-Semitic allegations, such as Jews controlling the American slave trade.
Irving rejected the criticism he drew after posting a link to the film and continued to defy him after receiving a suspension from the Nets for refusing to say he had no anti-Semitic views. . But in the end he apologized for promoting the moviehe said, “I am aware of the negative impact my posts have on the Jewish community, and I take responsibility.”
of Nets want Irving to take steps It included meetings with Jewish leaders and the ADL before allowing him to return to the team.
As long as the movie remains on Amazon, the company will continue to collect half of the purchase price and distribute the other half to the filmmakers. Some have asked the company to donate proceeds from the book and film to groups fighting the epidemic of hate.
“It is irresponsible to make money from such toxic books,” said Alvin H. Rosenfeld, director of the Center for Contemporary Anti-Semitism Research and professor at Indiana University. told the Washington Post.
Guidelines for filmmakers distributing films on Amazon’s platform state that “all titles undergo manual and automated review.” It aims to detect “derogatory comments, hate speech, and threats that target specific groups or individuals,” as well as copyright infringement and sexually explicit content. Individual.
The company’s policy for bookstores says Amazon can remove “offensive” content. It also says that it will be possible to broadcast a wide range of perspectives.
“As a bookstore, we believe it is important to provide access to the written word, including content that may be considered objectionable,” said Policy.
