A dead pigeon ad divides Holland

In a country where an ad can show parents singing "I want to fuck you in the ass" together with their kids, you wouldn't think throwing a pigeon at a window would raise many eyebrows. But the Dutch Animal Rights Committee received 150 complaints already the first day the ad was aired.

Media was quick to follow up, and the "Dead Pigeon" ad was featured on prime time news along with Hirsi Ali coming out of hiding (the co-writer of Submission, the movie that lead to the assassination of filmmaker Theo van Gogh). The pigeon-frenzy was further fed by a theft of 10 valuable carrier pigeons in Delft (apparently unrelated). The ad is part of a launch campaign for local telecommunications company Versatel, featuring the tag line Communication just got easier, and shows a young man sending a love note with a pigeon. Unfortunately, he's forgotten to open the window...

The ads can be seen at https://www.versatel.nl/prive/abonneren/adsl/commercials/

The Reclamencodecomissie is ruling on the matter today, deciding whether Versatel has to withdraw the ad. The company took a poll on their website, with 75% of people for the ad, finding it hilarious. The TV reporters seemed to agree, failing to remain serious after seeing the pigeon hit the window. For some fun reading (in Dutch), try googling "Versatel" and "duif", and remember: it's legal to bike past a cop smoking a joint, but if you don't have the lights on, you'll get a 50 euro fine.