A series of billboards have been placed across the city of Palermo in Sicily with the image of Adolf Hitler dressed in Pink with the caption “Change your style. Don’t follow your leader” while the swastika on Hitler’s armband has been replaced by a heart. It seems this has sparked a row across Italy many and a local association of wartime resistance fighters were offended by this billboard asking for an immediate withdrawl.
The leader of the World War II veterans association said “We do not understand how the city authorities could have allowed such a billboard to be installed, and we demand its immediate withdrawal, the posters were a “serious” offense against all those who fought fascism, and violate our democratic and constitutional principles.”
The advertising agency behind the posters told Italian media the aim was to ridicule Hitler, not minimize his crimes. It is a very interesting way to rebuke a concept touching a sensitive nerve within the Muslim community, most Muslims will give a knowing smile to say “Back at ya” in light of the controversial facebook Draw Mohammed Day cartoon issue.
Maybe instead of banning the entire facebook and 600 more websites in Pakistan, the Muslim community could have engaged in such forms of counter intelligence where funny posters of the swastika could have been place around the world showing that its not funny to make fun of sensitive issue, even at the cost of freedom of expression, one cannot blatantly ridicule the sentiments of people