A nightclub leaflet showing the late Pope John Paul II holding a bottle of beer and dancing with a blonde woman has been banned. The Advertising Standards Authority branded the flyer offensive and ordered it to be removed after a complaint by the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality (ISCRE) on behalf of angry Poles and Catholics.
The leaflet showed Pope John Paul II with a bottle of beer dancing with a blonde woman wearing a short dress.
It was distributed to promote a night called Berserk at Club Fire nightclub in Ipswich.
Sheila Soltysik, secretary of Ipswich Polish Club, said a local Polish girl had complained to her.
She said: "It was hugely offensive. The sheer volume of the reaction is what made us take the matter to ISCRE.
"It is unfortunate that the thoughtless actions of a marketing idea has created dismay amongst the Polish community and Catholic religion by depicting figures of high moral standards amongst ideas of inappropriate behaviour and surroundings.
"Perhaps to some it may have innocent connotations but to the majority of sensible people it is deeply upsetting."
"They cannot be allowed to get away with doing things like this, it could have caused real problems, I think we caught it just in time."
Jane Basham, director of ISCRE, said: "The depiction of the deceased Polish Pope particularly was clearly offensive and ISCRE believes that discrimination based on religious grounds is as abhorrent as any other.
"I hope this will send a strong and important message across Suffolk that our businesses have an important responsibility to all of Suffolk's faith and wider communities."
"I am disappointed that neither the publicity company nor the club has offered any apology directly to our Polish and Catholic community."
The ASA upheld the complaint against Waped Ltd who produced the advert saying 'the depiction of the dead Pope caused serious offence.' But they did not accept the flyer was racist or irresponsible by linking sex with alcohol.
A spokesman said: "Although we noted the deceased Pope John Paul II was a well respected Polish figure we did not consider his nationality was the primary factor associated with his papacy, or that the ad had set out to denigrate Polish people."
Club Fire did not comment.
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(Source: TOUK)