This graphic PETA ad just got banned from London buses
PETA has a pretty blunt message for Londoners this festive season; one involving graphic images of a pet dog being served for Christmas dinner.
But, that message didn't quite make it to the public because London Buses refused to run the advert due to concerns over the "offensive" nature of the content.
In a blog post, PETA UK said it was "shameful and confusing" that its campaign was rejected by the transport authority "when Londoners are bombarded with ads selling turkey corpses."
The advert featured a "glazed and roasted dog's head on a platter" alongside the words: "If You Wouldn’t Eat Your Dog, Why Eat a Turkey? Start a New Tradition. Go Vegan."
"One hundred buses were meant to be serving up some food for thought from PETA this Christmas, but at the last minute, London Buses refused to run our advert on the grounds that it may cause offence," read the blog post.
PETA UK went on to defend the message behind the advert in the blog. "What’s truly offensive isn’t the ad but killing gentle birds – who have the same capacity to feel pain as the dogs with whom we share our homes – for a fleeting moment of taste."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
A Transport for London spokesperson told Mashable that the advert was rejected in light of UK advertising standard (the CAP Code), which states that marketing communications "must not cause fear or distress without justifiable reason." The policy also states that marketers shouldn't use shocking claims or images just to attract attention.
"Our agency rejected this advert following advice from the Committee of Advertising Practice," the spokesperson said.
Topics Activism
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.
