Bell Mobility References Holocaust With ‘Belsen Was A Gas’ Button

belsen_gas.jpg

Portfolios.com’s David Katz alerts us to an ad for Bell Mobility’s Solo Mobile placed in Toronto’s Downsview Station which carries a small pin that reads, “Belsen was a gas.” The ad has caused a bit of a stir. The pin refers to the World War II Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen where gassing was anything but a pleasant experience. The pin is tiny but several commuters spotted it and it became a TV news story last Thursday.

Whether intentional or an art director’s sneaky joke, Bell Mobility quickly reacted and issued a statement, saying, “We are in the process of removing all of these particular Solo Mobile ads… running these ads was an error on our part and one we certainly regret. You won’t see them again of course.”

The company promise all fifty one ads in and around Toronto and Vancouver which contain the button would be removed.

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Steve Hall

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