Amazon has come under fire for selling T-shirts glorifying the Chilean military junta’s “death flights” in which leftwing opponents of the regime were “disappeared” by being thrown from helicopters into the sea to hide their bodies.
Over 3,000 were killed or forcibly disappeared during Pinochet’s 1973 – 1990 reign of terror – in 2001, then-President Ricardo Lagos revealed at least 120 victims were thrown to their deaths from helicopters into “Chile’s ocean, lakes and rivers”.
Shoppers at the e-commerce monopole had a choice of a variety of garments emblazoned with Pinochet’s face alongside images of helicopters or slogans such as “Free Helicopter Rides” – others depicted bodies falling from helicopters along with the caption “wanna take a ride?”, with one shirt even being emblazoned with the legend “Pinochet Is My Co-Pilot”.
Speaking to The Guardian, Chilean author Diamela Eltit said the merchandise was “not only hurtful” but “also of incomprehensible cruelty”.
“It’s unbearable for people like me who had to endure that time when people were thrown alive into the sea from helicopters. It shows how the worst part of humanity can be absorbed by the market and transformed into an object of consumption,” she explained.
Mere days ago, the site was forced to remove a number of Christmas ornaments from sale as they were decorated with images of the Auschwitz concentration camp, where over a million people were murdered by the Nazis. The products included a mousepad and a ceramic freight car used.
Moreover, in March it was revealed Amazon had been stocking pro-pedophile baby clothing, with onesies reading “Daddy’s little f*** toy” and “I just look illegal”.