Billboard owners have paused a prominent campaign by Medecins Sans Frontieres which has been upsetting and offending Jewish members of the public.

The illuminated billboards have been seen in Wembley, North West London and in Abbey Wood in South East London.  They shout out, in capital letters, “WE’RE WITNESSING  A GENOCIDE IN GAZA.  WHEN WILL THE UK GOVERNMENT TAKE ACTION?”

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) wrote to 75Media, the billboard owners, explaining that these words amounted to misinformation, were  offensive and likely cause distress to members of the public.

Since the advert is offensive, it also breaches 75Media’s terms and conditions.

UKLFI also warned that the advert may breach Section 5 (1)(b) of the Public Order Act 1986 which says that a person is guilty of this offence if they display any writing or sign or other visible representation which is threatening or abusive within the sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm, or distress thereby.

The advert  may also breach Section 18 (1)(a) and (b) of the Public Order Act 1986.  A person is guilty of this offence if they display any written material which is threatening, abusive, or insulting and having regard to all the circumstances racial hatred is likely to be stirred up thereby.   The words written on the MSF advert are likely to be considered  insulting and having regard to all the circumstances racial hatred against Jews and Israelis is likely to be stirred up.

A spokesperson for 75Media told UKLFI: “…we want to assure you that 75Media takes its responsibilities as an outdoor media owner extremely seriously. We are acutely aware of the influence public advertising can have, and we always work to ensure that, to the best of our understanding, campaigns meet regulatory standards.  As such, we have taken the decision to pause this campaign with immediate effect while we discuss a more universally acceptable way forward with our client.  We hope this demonstrates our commitment to responsible media practice.”

 Caroline Turner commented: “We are pleased that 75Media took prompt action to deal with this situation, and we commend their responsible approach.”