Aussie retailer slammed for selling Auschwitz mini skirt and other Holocaust merchandise

“Rather disturbing and disrespectful.”

Australian online marketplace Redbubble is coming under (well-deserved) fire, after it was found to be selling several products that featured imagery of Auschwitz and other Holocaust-related graphics.

Auschwitz Memorial and Museum in Poland was the first of many to complain about the “disturbing and disrespectful” pieces up for sale, which included a T-shirt with an Auschwitz concentration camp print, a ‘Chimney mini skirt’ and a ‘Last Walk tote bag’.

.@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? This is rather disturbing and disrespectful. pic.twitter.com/cdPvZGMXC6

— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) 7 May 2019

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. pic.twitter.com/seCe8xr31W

— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) 8 May 2019

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And while it seems bizarre that any designer could think using a photo of the most notorious Nazi death camp on a mini skirt was a good idea, that’s not even the craziest part. Screenshots tweeted by the memorial show the products were actually available from at least four different brands/sellers on the platform.

One Twitter user was also quick to point out that Redbubble also appears to have included the terms ‘Auschwitz Gifts & Merchandise’ in its search keywords.

This whole keyword is outrageous!! ? https://t.co/STucE017VL

— en/gɛl/ez (Jo) (@engyles) 7 May 2019

Responding to the Auschwitz Memorial tweet, Redbubble Help tweeted a couple of somewhat generic replies, before finally removing the items. Redbubble CEO, Barry Newstead, has also shared an apology on the website’s blog, stating the platform “aspires to do better”. You can read his full response here.