Lego Accused of Being Racist Over Jabba’s Palace

The Daily Mail is reporting that the Turkish Cultural Community of Austria is claiming Lego’s Jabba’s Palace (9516) set is a representation of the Hagia Sophia mosque and the characters depict racial stereotypes that are offensive.

According to the organisation, Jabba resembles a terrorist and the other figures in the set are “terrorists, criminals and murders.”  They also claim that the weapons included in the set are inappropriate for ages 9 – 14.

Lego issued a press release today that denies the intent of the Jabba’s Palace set, mentioning that the characters and building are meant to resemble the fictional characters and location from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.