BRITAIN: Tesco today pulled a selection of anti-Semitic literature from its online bookstore following complaints from an anti-fascist magazine. The far-right titles included The Hitler We Loved and Why, The International Jew and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
Searchlight magazine said it was "horrified" to discover books by US far-right publisher Liberty Bell on the Tesco website. It describes The Protocols as an anti-Semitic "propaganda weapon" usually distributed only by Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and other right-wing groups.
Searchlight found another 106 titles by British-based publisher Steven Books which it describes as "so extreme that even the British National Party does not sell them".
It said the sale of Nazi, racist and anti-Semitic books was "unacceptable and inexcusable".
Mark Gardner, director of communications for the Jewish Community Security Trust, said after the discovery: "It is inexplicable and shameful that Tesco is selling hate literature. We expect that when they examine this offensive material they will remove it from sale immediately." A Tesco spokeswoman said the offending books had been pulled following the complaint from Searchlight. The store said in a statement: "Tesco.com has over one million book titles covering a wide range of subjects. We are unhappy that titles which could cause offence to some customers have found their way on to our site and took immediate action to remove them once they were brought to our attention." A direct website link to the Liberty Bell list on Tesco's website had been posted on the Nazi Blood and Honour guestbook, Searchlight said.
It criticised the online website Amazon for selling The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. - (PA)