Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

Coronavirus bed advert is banned for being racist

Coronavirus bed advert is banned for being racist

A coronavirus-themed cartoon advert which boasted about having ‘no nasty imports’ broke advertising rules for being racist.

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) ruled that a Vic Smith Beds poster should be banned after two members of the public complained about it. It showed an image of an upright mattress, which had a union jack on the front, wearing a green surgical mask.

The text read: ‘British build [sic] beds proudly made in the UK. No nasty imports.’ The ASA agreed that the ad, which ran in a north London newspaper, was likely to cause serious and widespread offence by linking concern about the ongoing coronavirus health emergency to nationality and race.



Vic Smith Beds, a family-run bed and mattress company covering north London, said it had not been its intention to cause offence and that the ad had been run past its ‘multi-cultural workforce, without any issues being raised’.

The company said: ‘It was never [our] intention to be offensive or racist and [we] did not think they had been.’ The spokesperson added that the ad – in the Enfield and Haringey Independent newspaper, on Wednesday, February 12 – was intended to advertise the fact their beds were British-made, rather than sitting in a ‘damp container sent from China’. An ASA spokesperson said the poster was ‘seen in the context of… a developing major outbreak of novel coronavirus’, and added: ‘News outlets had also reported some groups being physically and verbally targeted because of their nationality and/or race in relation to fears about coronavirus.

‘The ASA understood that, in particular, a number of Asian people had reported receiving abuse as a result of wearing face masks.’ Last week, two teenage boys were arrested following an incident involving a Singaporean student, who claims a group shouted ‘coronavirus’ at him, before launching a physical attack.

The spokesperson said its code requires marketing groups to ensure ads do not contain anything ‘likely to cause serious or widespread offence, with particular care to be taken to avoid causing offence on various grounds of protected characteristics, including race’.

They continued: ‘We noted the reference to “BRITISH BUILD” [sic] beds, and the image of the Union Jack, and we understood that the advertiser’s intention was to draw attention to the fact that their beds were made in the UK.



Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
×