Benetton's "Unhate" Campaign Is Stirring Up Contreversy

Benetton’s “Unhate” Campaign Is Stirring Up Contreversy

Oh snap! If Benetton hoped its new ad campaign would generate buzz, mission accomplished! The fashion label’s “Unhate” campaign features pics of world leaders, digitally altered of course, making out!

The pics make it look like they’re kissing each other. President Obama, for example, is lip-locked with China’s Hu Jintao and, separately, Hugo Chavez.

Other smoochers include Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, and the two Korean leaders. The pope, meanwhile, is ticked to be depicted kissing an Egyptian imam, in an image the Vatican calls an “unacceptable” provocation!

But just hours after its debut, an ad featuring the PhotoShopped pope kissing a top Egyptian imam was yanked! “It shows a serious lack of respect for the pope” and is an “unacceptable” manipulation of his image, said a Vatican spokesperson in a statement. Benetton pulled the ad within an hour or so of the complaint! Wow! The Pope aint playin with yall lol!

Benetton was forced to pull into a humiliating climbdown today as the clothing company was forced to pull one of its images from its new ‘Unhate’ campaign.

The Italian firm withdrew the photograph featuring Pope Benedict XVI kissing a senior Egyptian imam on the lips after the Vatican denounced it as an unacceptable provocation.

Benetton had claimed its ‘Unhate’ campaign, which was launched today, was aimed at fostering tolerance and ‘global love’ but would have known how much trouble they were likely to stir up.

The campaign’s adverts include digitally altered pictures half a dozen world leaders to show them kissing.