Someone used this Burger King ad in response to the Brussels attacks
PARIS -- A middle finger has been raised in the face of terrorism, following the Brussels attacks.
Fries are a symbol of Belgium -- if a bit of a cliché -- but this image quickly gained traction on Twitter after Tuesday's terror attacks which killed at least 31 people in separate attacks at the airport and metro in Brussels.
The image wasn't created specifically in response to the attacks but was adapted from an old Burger King ad.
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The image dates back to 2008, when it was used for a campaign in connection with the launch of a restaurant near Auckland in New Zealand.
On social media, the image was cropped to remove the text. It is not clear who first repurposed the ad.
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Here's the un-cropped version of the original Burger King ad:
According to Ads of the World, the visual was created by Young & Rubicam in New Zealand.
The original ad recommends taking a break at the Burger King in Dairy Flat, the very last fast food restaurant before a toll booth on the highway.
For motorists infuriated by the $2 charge for passing through the tolls, Burger King offered to take $2 off purchases over $10. It also suggested motorists show the ad when they stopped at the toll booth in an act of defiance.
Young & Rubicam in Auckland, New Zealand, responded to Mashable, saying "we are proud to be part of any efforts to end violence and bring about peace."
Rachel Thompson in London translated this story which first appeared on Mashable France
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Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
