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Watchdog will not investigate atheist advert
A £140,000 atheist campaign on British buses and London Underground stating "There's Probably No God" is not in breach of the advertising code in spite of more than 300 complaints, a watchdog ruled.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it had concluded that the campaign did not contravene the code and it would therefore not launch an investigation – the case is now closed, it said.
The authority said it had received 326 complaints about the campaign, some claiming it was offensive to people of faith and others challenging whether the advertisement was misleading.
"The ASA Council concluded that the ad was an expression of the advertiser's opinion and that the claims in it were not capable of objective substantiation," a statement said.
"Although the ASA acknowledges that the content of the ad would be at odds with the beliefs of many, it concluded that it was unlikely to mislead or to cause serious or widespread offence."
The campaign was prompted by a suggestion from comedy writer Ariane Sherine, who received support from the British Humanist Association (BHA) and atheist campaigner Richard Dawkins.
Ms Sherine had objected to a set of Christian advertisements on London buses.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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