London police targeted in guerrilla campaign hijacking Clear Channel ads
A guerrilla activist group has erected a series of print ads in London accusing the Metropolitan Police of racism, prejudice and of causing the 2011 riots.
Clear Channel ad fixtures in the capital were hijacked by activists who opened the fixtures and inserted their own authentic-looking ads featuring the branding of the Metropolitan police.
The ads were designed by Strike! Magazine, although the publication denied responsibility for their distribution.
Police cordoned off the ads until they were removed
One ad, posted outside of New Scotland Yard, said: “You’re 28 times more likely to be stopped and searched in London if you don’t have white skin, because we’re still really racist.”
Guessing Met Police don't like seeing the truth.. We need more of these signs! #MetPolice #PoliceBrutality #ACAB pic.twitter.com/yWljGJP5Se
— Tristan Woodwards (@TWoodwards) December 15, 2014
A second read: “We caused the 2011 riots by shooting dead an unarmed civilian and then lying about it. And we got away with it.”
#acab pic.twitter.com/mJWQkoFHIS — spellsnatcher ★ (@ibutsu) December 15, 2014And a third read: “We’ve pointlessly targeted cannabis users in Lewisham, while other people legally drink their drugs.”
What are the police worried about? #ACAB pic.twitter.com/vyRBjXBZLn
— Bobby Dean (@Bobby_Dean) December 14, 2014
Strike! Magazine also claimed that officers were stopping the public from taking pictures of the ads, and were confiscating smartphones.
We've heard reports of Met officers trying to stop members of the public taking photos of the ads and even... http://t.co/B1vOnQY9hW — STRIKE! magazine (@strikeyo) December 15, 2014
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What are the police worried about? #ACAB pic.twitter.com/vyRBjXBZLn
— Bobby Dean (@Bobby_Dean) December 14, 2014
Clear Channel told i100: "On Sunday 14th December, we received information that some of our sites had been accessed and the advertising had been replaced by posters from an activist group.
"Our operations team are attending the sites throughout the night and are re-posting the advertising, in line with our standard practice."
The ads were shared online by social media users using #ACAB, an acronym for 'all coppers are bastards'.