Nazi propaganda ads pulled from NYC subways
FOX411: Ads for Amazon's original series 'Man in the High Castle' feature Nazi insignia and are covering NYC subways. Is this going too far?
NEW YORK – After hearing complaints from New York City subway riders and social media users, Amazon is shutting down an ad campaign that featured subway cars covered in Nazi imagery to promote the series "The Man in the High Castle."
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transit Authority told FOX411 on Tuesday, "Amazon has just decided to pull the ads."
The 42nd Street Shuttle, which runs between the tourist destination Times Square and the transit hub Grand Central Terminal, currently features an alternative version of the American flag that includes Nazi symbolism.
Amazon’s series imagines a world where the Nazis won World War II and have taken control over parts of the United States. The series is based off of the novel by the same name by Philip K. Dick. To promote the show, the network covered half a subway with flags that feature a strong resemblance to the Reichsadler, a Nazi coat of arm.
Subway riders took notice and posted photos of the ads on social media, prompting Twitter users to chime in.
Many of the comments were negative, however several users praised the promotions.
Kevin Ortiz, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transit Authority, told FOX411 the agency had received one complaint about the ads as of Tuesday morning.
“The ads do not violate our content-neutral ad standards and thus we have no grounds to reject them,” he told us via email. “Unlike Fox, the MTA is a government agency and can't accept or reject ads based on how we feel about them; we have to follow the standards approved by our board.”
Ortiz said the original plan had been for the covered subway cars to be up until Dec. 14.
The Anti-Defamation League’s New York Regional Director Evan Bernstein labeled the ads insensitive.
“Our concern is that the Nazi imagery that is being used as part of this ad campaign comes without any context," he said in a statement to FOX411. "On the television program, which explains this is the notion of an America controlled by Hitler, you get that context. On the train, seeing the American flag paired with a Nazi symbol is viscerally offensive because there is no context as to what it means. The fact that the flag is spread across the seats only compounds the effect.”
“This ad campaign has a feel of exploiting things that are so sensitive to so many people. We’re not saying that people don’t have a right to express themselves," Bernstein added. "We’re just saying that it has a level of insensitivity. We would hope that the people who distributed it will think twice about putting these symbols on more public transportation.”
Amazon did not return FOX411’s request for comment.
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