'Nazi train blitzed
Amazon pulls subway ads amid fuhrer
Amazon surrendered to the public furor over its subway ads featuring seats plastered with Nazi insignia — killing the campaign Tuesday when Gov. Cuomo personally intervened.
The governor phoned MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast, telling him to pull the contentious ads, which covered seats on 42nd Street shuttle trains in American flags redesigned with imagery from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
A short time later, the MTA announced that Amazon had decided to take them down.
“It’s despicable,” Cuomo had told The Post. “I’m asking the company to take it down. If the company doesn’t take it down, I’ll direct the MTA to remove it.
“I understand the First Amendment. But I think this goes too far,” he added.
The ad campaign publicizes “The Man in the High Castle,” a TV series streaming on Amazon that depicts an alternate America after Germany and Japan win World War II.
At about 2:15 p.m. Tuesday, train cars outfitted with the ads had already been removed and replaced with ones featuring Century 21’s harmless holiday promos.
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (DBronx) said he’s thrilled the “disgraceful” ads are gone.
“To use Nazi symbols, it’s just beyond the pale,” added Dinowitz, an ardent advocate for Holocaust victims and their families.
“I think Amazon realized it would hurt them more than it would help them,” he continued. “I’m pleased they wised up.” Straphangers were happy, too. “It’s great that they are gone!” exclaimed Adam Gordon, 45, of Brooklyn. “I still can’t believe they put them up.”
Earlier in the day, Mayor de Blasio also said Amazon should take down the shuttle ads, calling them “irresponsible and offensive.”
The MTA had said they fell under the agency’s guidelines.
“We’ve determined they don’t violate our contentneutral ad standards,” said MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg.
“Unlike the New York Post, we’re a government authority — we can’t just decline to run an ad because we don’t like something about it,” Lisberg continued.
The MTA works with Outfront Media, which sells ads that it determines are up to the agency’s standards. Because a private company handles the MTA’s ads, the agency is able to avoid publicrecords laws.
Amazon released a statement that didn’t address the removal of the ads but described the new show as “thought provoking.”