A poster campaign urging people not to eat smelly foods on London’s overcrowded and overheated underground system has sparked a diplomatic incident with Italy.
The poster showing an overweight and Mediterranean-looking man lounging in an underground train carriage surrounded by hams, salamis and strings of garlic triggered a torrent of letters from angry Italians and even the Italian ambassador.
“We considered this poster to be very offensive to the Italian image, Italian products and the Italian company that is clearly identified,” the Italian Embassy’s economic counselor Guido Cerboni told Reuters. "It is a caricature of Italians.”
Under the avalanche of Italian outrage, London Underground has apologized and agreed to withdraw the poster.
“We apologize for any offense this has caused the Italian community. It was meant to be a light-hearted attempt to stop travelers eating smelly food,” a spokeswoman told Reuters.
Cerboni said the embassy now considered the incident closed, but he expected the company whose label is visible in the poster to sue for damages. “It has clearly suffered damage,” he said.
