The days of riding the New York City subway and seeing insignias from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan are coming to an end.
Amazon (AMZN) said Tuesday afternoon it is pulling the controversial ads for its new alternative history show The Man in the High Castle, which put the Imperial rising sun and the Nazi Iron Cross on subway seats, reports Variety. The show depicts a reality where the Axis won World War II, leading to the two countries controlling different areas of the U.S. It is based on a book by Phillip K. Dick.
42nd St shuttle to #TimesSquare covered in Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan symbols for @amazon ad. Is this ok? pic.twitter.com/ysJ3m0UIPT
— Katherine Lam (@byKatherineLam) November 23, 2015
42nd St shuttle to #TimesSquare covered in Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan symbols for @amazon ad. Is this ok? pic.twitter.com/ysJ3m0UIPT
— Katherine Lam (@byKatherineLam) November 23, 2015
Requests for comment from Amazon and New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority were not immediately answered.
By around 2:15 p.m., at least one of the trains with the ads had been taken out of service, reports the New York Post. The ads were called insensitive by many, especially given New York’s high Jewish population.