Update 14/3: Transport for London will remove the adverts. In a statement to BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat****, it said: “We have reviewed our position and will be removing these advertisements. They have been rejected due to the public sensitivity and concern around their content."
Pressure is on Transport for London to remove adverts protesting Michael Jackson’s ‘innocence’ on London buses, following calls from a sexual assault charity. The ads, which have been crowdfunded, follow the explosive two-part documentary Leaving Neverland, which documents shocking new claims of sexual abuse from the popstar made by two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
The evocative advert features a picture of Jackson’s face, where his lips have been covered by a sticker branded with the word ‘innocent’. “Facts don’t lie, people do,” the advert reads, with the link to website mjinnocent.com. The cost of the advertising? £20,000. (The crowdfunder – set up by a group which are trying to spread the message there is a “genuine belief that there is a huge group in society that believe and know he is INNOCENT” - raised the money in only a month.)
Sexual assault survivors are, quite rightly, upset at TfL’s compliance in the campaign. The Survivors Trust - which provides support for victims of rape and child sexual abuse - has urged TfL to consider taking the adverts down, Sky News has reported. The charity told them: “The decision to prioritise advertising revenue over the option of remaining neutral on such an emotive topic is disappointing."
The organisation then added the most important point: that posters like this could discourage victims from reporting sexual assault, in case people think they’re lying. The organisation added that fewer than one in five rape victims report the attacks to police, and a quarter of remain silent because they do not think their allegations will be believed. “An advertising campaign such as this perpetuates this fear amongst survivors and is very misplaced,” they concluded.
Despite numerous calls on Twitter to ditch the campaign, TfL has not backed down. A spokesperson toldNME: “This advertising campaign is compliant with our advertising policy.” They also confirmed that – unfortunately - Londoners will be able to see the advertisements until March 24.