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    Exclusive | Amazon invited pro-Palestinian rapper Macklemore to speak to its staff –

    Mars Posted on

    Amazon invited controversial rapper and pro-Palestinian supporter Macklemore to speak at an internal meeting, but reportedly vetoed a speech from a pro-Israel speaker – even as one of its employees continues to being held hostage in Gaza.

    Samantha Ettus, a Harvard-educated self-help author who has engaged in activism for Jewish causes since the October 7 Hamas massacre, posted a video to Instagram on Monday accusing Amazon of having a “big problem giant Jew.”

    Ettus accused the e-commerce giant of canceling his Zoom appearance for an unofficial “affinity” group of Jewish employees because his speech was deemed by human resources to be “too controversial.”

    In his Insta video, which has since gone viral, Ettus said the e-commerce giant silenced him while inviting Macklemore to host an officially sanctioned seminar for the company’s affinity group dedicated to recovering addicts.

    According to Samantha Ettus, Amazon invited controversial rapper Macklemore to speak to a group of recovering drug addicts employed by Amazon. WireImage

    The Thrift Shop singer, who has been open about his addiction to alcohol and drugs, has harshly criticized Israel since its troops entered Gaza to root out the terrorist organization which killed 1,400 people in the raid cross-border last year.

    Hamas also took approximately 240 hostages, including Alexander “Sasha” Trupanov, an Amazon employee at its Tel Aviv laboratory. It is not known whether Trupanov is one of the hundred or so hostages believed to be still alive.

    Last month, Macklemore, 41, held a benefit concert titled “Palestine Shall Live Forever,” during which he shouted “Fk America” ​​and denounced Israel for “genocide” against the Palestinians.

    His concert took place just weeks after his seminar for Amazon employees. The Zoom session, which was pre-recorded and vetted by human resources staff to ensure it did not spill over into geopolitical issues, was approved and cleared for streaming to company staff earlier this month last.

    “The Recovery@ affinity group hosted a conversation with Macklemore specifically about his personal journey, recovery, and reducing stigma in the workplace for those recovering from substance abuse,” the HR post reads.

    HR said “the team ensured the conversation followed these themes for conversation during National Recovery Month.”

    “In reviewing the event, we have decided to move it to a pre-recorded conversation and we will review all content before sharing it with employees,” HR told Jewish employees.

    Ettus said Amazon was guilty of “hypocrisy” for featuring a “known racist and anti-Semitic” platform while canceling his speech.

    Macklemore has openly denounced Israel, sparking accusations of anti-Semitism. Philippe Lewis/X

    “Despite the pleas of the Jewish people that he is an anti-Semite and you can’t let him speak…he is allowed to speak,” Ettus said.

    “So Macklemore is not controversial, but I am,” she said.

    An Amazon spokesperson denied the existence of double standards

    “Many of these claims lack important context, and it is inaccurate and misleading to suggest that we tolerate hostility in our workplace,” the representative told the Post.

    Samantha Ettus said she was denied the opportunity to speak to a group of Jewish employees because her speech was deemed by human resources to be “too controversial.” Getty Images for Ending Jew Hatred/The Lawfare Project

    “We recognize that this has been a difficult time for many and we remain focused on supporting all of our employees. »

    According to Ettus, Jewish Amazon employees have been denied the right to create their own employee resource group, or “affinity” group, despite the fact that there are 13 such employee-led organizations and representing Asians, Latinos, Veterans, LGBTQ, Women. and indigenous workers.

    “A few months ago I was invited to speak on Amazon by their Jewish group which is not a real Jewish group because Amazon refuses to officially recognize them because they say they are a religion ( and) not an ethnicity,” Ettus said in the Instagram video, which generated more than 10,200 likes as of Tuesday.

    Sasha Trupanov, an Israeli who works for an Amazon subsidiary, has been held captive by Hamas in Gaza since last year. Instagram/troufanov_family

    The Jewish employees filed a formal complaint with human resources, Ettus told The Post on Tuesday. She said Jewish employees also filed a complaint through the company’s ethics portal, but their complaints were dismissed.

    “I appreciate you bringing these concerns to our attention,” Amazon’s human resources department told Jewish employees who protested his speech. The text message from HR was obtained by The Post.

    The speech has since been removed from the company’s internal video portals.

    Amazon management has already come under fire from rank-and-file Jewish employees, angered by the company’s silence regarding Trupanov.

    Ruba Borno, an Amazon executive, was seen wearing a necklace depicting a Palestinian flag imposed on a map of Israel. AWS

    Amazon has so far not taken a public position on Trupanov’s captivity, saying it was acting on the advice of defense and security experts. But Amazon’s Jewish employees campaigned for the company to speak out on Trupanov’s behalf.

    The company also faced criticism over an internal company video showing Palestinian leader Ruba Borno wearing a necklace featuring a pendant depicting a map of Israel with a Palestinian flag superimposed – evoking the phrase “from the river to the sea”. »

    On Monday, Amazon announced that it had removed the video.

    Mars
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