'We don't want a 'cure' for autism' - Protesters target Amazon HQ London over 'harmful' book sales

Video shows an autistic rights group staging a peaceful protest outside the Amazon office in London, over the sale of books that include ‘damaging misinformation’ about autism.

Some of these ‘harmful’ books include advice on giving bleach to autistic children as a medication.

On Tuesday (20 May), autism rights campaigner Emma Dalmayne hand-delivered her 35,000-signature Change.org petition to Amazon’s UK headquarters in London, urging the retail giant to remove dozens of titles from their online platform.

Discredited ‘treatments’

Emma was joined at Amazon’s Shoreditch office by a group of fellow autism rights advocates, who staged a peaceful protest outside.

Emma’s petition delivery was initially planned to put pressure on the online retail giant to remove the book Spectrum Harmony Planner, which recommends dangerous, discredited “treatments” such as giving Chlorine Dioxide – an industrial bleach – to children as a "medication".

Autism ‘epidemic’

However, despite the title being taken off the website just hours before the petition delivery, more than 30 books still remain for sale on Amazon containing similar autism “cures”. One particular book, The Nemechek Protocol for Autism and Developmental Disorders, recommends curing autism with the Nemechek protocol, while another I Wish My Kids Had Cancer: A Family Surviving the Autism Epidemic, chronicles a father’s struggle to survive with two children with autism, and Recovering From Autism With The GAPS Diet recommends restrictive diets to “treat” autism.

Books promote ‘Arsenic detox’

This is all despite a 2019 commitment from Amazon to remove books promoting autism “cures” involving chlorine dioxide, arsenic detox treatments, and other pseudoscientific methods.

Emma, the CEO of autistic-led non-profit organisation Autistic Inclusive Meets, said:

“Amazon were courteous and accepted the petition, they listened to our concerns regarding the books they have on their platform. Whether or not they heard us remains to be seen. We will continue campaigning for the other 30+ books to be removed. Amazon having these harmful misinformation-filled books for sale lends them undeserved credibility. They did agree to contact me for a meeting. The fight continues.

‘Autism is not an illness’

“Autism is not an illness, disease or an injury to be purged or detoxed, it's a neurological condition. We as autistic people need inclusion, equality and to be accommodated. People are using these books on Amazon as a how-to guide to abuse their children, and it's horrifying that Amazon is platforming them.”

You can view the petition here: Change.org/AmazonAutism, and find supporter comments here.

Watch the video above.