And it's not April Fool's Day.
Following the complaint from the Turkish cultural community in Austria, led by its president Birol Killic, concerning set 9516 Jabba's Palace released in 2012 (see these two articles: LEGO sued for incitement to hatred and 9516 Jabba's Palace and Istanbul mosque: LEGO officially reacts ), LEGO had initially officially reacted to the accusations of equating Jabba's Palace with a reproduction of a mosque, relying on the mythology of Star Wars and its fictional nature.
But this was apparently an official response meant to appease the spirits while allowing LEGO not to follow through on the Turkish Cultural Association's fanciful requests.
In the background, it would appear that LEGO representatives somehow gave in to pressure during a meeting with representatives of the Turkish community in Munich, after which Birol Killic declared himself satisfied that LEGO had agreed to stop production of set 9516 Jabba's Palace as early as 2014.
LEGO would have in any case stopped the production of this set by 2014, that is to say after two years of marketing, and this "agreement" which seems to satisfy the complainant does not require LEGO to really call into question its commercial policy.
That being said, set 9516 Jabba's Palace won't be a long-term fixture in the manufacturer's catalog, and if you want to get it at a reasonable price, don't wait until next year...
This set, which has a list price of €144.99, is currently being sold for under €100 on amazon.de, for example. You can find all the offers from the various European Amazon sites on Amazon.com.
Source: The racist threat? Muslims declare victory in fight over 'anti-Islamic' Lego (The Independent)
