Amazon selling manifestos of mass murderers

Amazon has been accused of helping to spread hatred by selling the manifestos of far-right mass murderers.

According to an investigation by the Sunday Times, the online retail giant is profiting from the sale of extremist material written by Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik and American white supremacist Dylann Roof.

In July 2011, Breivik staged twin attacks on government offices in Oslo and on a summer island camp for members of a socialist youth movement. A total of 77 people were killed, many of them children.

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On the day of the attack, he published a 1,500-page manifesto entitled 2083: A European Declaration of Independence, which is available to buy on Amazon in both English and French.

Brenton Tarrant, the man accused of carrying out attacks on two mosques in Christchurch on Friday that resulted in the deaths of at least 50 people, allegedly claimed to have been inspired by Breivik.

A hate-filled manifesto written by Roof, who gunned down nine black churchgoers in South Carolina in 2015, is also being sold on Amazon.

Brendan Cox, the co-founder of Survivors Against Terror and the husband of murdered Labour MP Jo Cox, told the newspaper that the material should be taken down immediately.

“Online retailers — just like social media companies — need to stop playing into the hands of terrorists by giving them the notoriety they crave and even selling their so-called manifestos,” he said. “Too many corporates are actively making future attacks more likely.”

Damian Collins, chairman of the digital, culture, media and sport select committee, agreed.

“It is irresponsible to give people who have committed terrorist atrocities platforms,” the Tory MP said. “Selling the manifestos is helping their hateful message spread.”

Their comments come after Sajid Javid warned that internet companies who allow the distribution of banned content should be prepared to face the full force of the law.

Writing in The Daily Express, the home secretary called on people to stop watching and sharing the livestream broadcast by the gunman who carried out the New Zealand attacks.

“Allowing terrorists to glorify in the bloodshed or spread more extremist views can only lead to more radicalisation and murders,” Javid said.