The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), the largest organization representing Irish Americans in the US, is highlighting what it calls “a significant concern regarding Amazon's inconsistent enforcement of its offensive product policies.”

In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 6, the AOH said: “Despite Amazon's public commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the online retail giant has overlooked the proliferation of merchandise on its platform that perpetuates negative stereotypes of the Irish and Irish Americans."

The AOH says it has identified "thousands of products on Amazon featuring inscriptions that demean and trivialize Irish culture and heritage."

These products, according to the AOH, include but are not limited to:

  • "Kiss Me I'm Irish or drunk or whatever" – over 3,000 items
  • "Irish Today, Hungover Tomorrow" – more than 1,000 items
  • "Irish Livers Matter" – 813 items
  • "Instant Irish, Just Add Beer" – 134 items
  • "I may not be Irish but I can drink like one" – 109 items

The AOH continued: "Some items make up in egregiousness what they lack in numbers. Among such items are 'Drink Till Yer Green, Today You Can Blame the Irish for Your Behavior' and items with "F-ck St. Patrick's Day."

"This promotion of these products by Amazon not only contradicts its own policies against items that promote, incite, or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual, or religious intolerance but also represents a failure of moral leadership and corporate responsibility.

"Amazon has been swift to act in removing products offensive to other heritages. The continued sale of these items sends a damaging message that Amazon is willing to overlook hate and discrimination when it targets specific groups, in this case, the Irish."

Read more

The statement continued: "The AOH has made multiple attempts to engage Amazon to address this issue, seeking the removal of these offensive items and a review of policy enforcement processes to prevent similar oversights. However, these efforts have been met with inaction, signaling a troubling double standard in Amazon's approach to policy enforcement."

The AOH said in its statement that it is urging Amazon to promptly review and remove merchandise that defames the Irish community and reevaluate its policy enforcement procedures to ensure consistent and fair application across all groups, preventing the spread of offensive materials targeting any race, ethnicity, or religion.

The AOH concluded its statement saying: "For Amazon to maintain its credibility and uphold its commitment to DEI, it is imperative that it enforces its policies uniformly, without bias or exception.

"The AOH stands ready to engage in constructive dialogue with Amazon to address these concerns and work towards a more inclusive and respectful online environment."