New York's governor Andrew M. Cuomo gave an ultimatum to Amazon on Tuesday: either remove the Nazi-themed ads from the New York City subway train, or the agency that oversees the transit system would remove them.
"The Governor spoke directly to the MTA Chairman yesterday morning and told him that Amazon had until the end of the day [Tuesday] to do the right thing and voluntarily remove the offensive ads or he'd order the MTA to rip them out," a spokesperson from the governor's office told Tech Insider on Wednesday.
Amazon had plastered the 42nd Street Shuttle, which ferries passengers between Times Square and Grand Central Terminal, with ads for its latest original video series, "The Man in the High Castle." The series, which is based on a book by Philip K. Dick, takes place in an alternate reality in which Japan and Nazi Germany have won the second World War.
The advertising campaign featured Nazi Germany and Imperial Japanese insignia plastered to seats in a subway car, which prompted outrage from some passengers.
—Katherine Lam (@byKatherineLam) November 23, 2015
The ads in the subway cars are now gone, but it's unclear who is responsible for taking them down. A spokesperson for New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority, which is responsible for the city's subway system, told Tech Insider on Tuesday afternoon that Amazon had chosen to remove the ads from the train car.
But an Amazon spokesperson denied that, saying it didn't pull the ads. (The implication from Amazon is that it was the MTA's choice to take the ads down, not Amazon's.) However, Amazon will keep about 250 posters advertising the show in subway stations.
Amazon didn't address who took the subway car ads down in a statement to Tech Insider:
"Amazon Studios creates high-quality, provocative programming that spurs conversation," Amazon said in a statement. "'The Man in the High Castle,' based on an acclaimed novel, explores the impact to our freedoms if we had lost World War II. Like 'Transparent' and the movie 'Chi-Raq,' stories that society cares about often touch on important, thought-provoking topics. We will continue to bring this kind of storytelling to our customers."
Cuomo also addressed the controversy with reporters on Tuesday, his office said.
"I understand the shock value of advertising and they’re trying to drive people to see their show so the controversy actually helps them," he said to reporters, according to his office. "But sometimes it’s not worth the price you pay. It’s the holiday season. To show people what could be really revolting symbols to them and bring back bad memories is not worth selling more viewership on their show."
