Government's 'go home' ad misleading, says watchdog

LONDON (AP):

Britain's advertising watch-dog has ruled that a government campaign urging immigrants who entered the country illegally to go home used misleading arrest figures.

The Home Office poster, displayed on vans driven throughout London, featured a picture of a pair of handcuffs and read: "In the UK illegally? Go home or face arrest" and "106 arrests last week in your area."

The watchdog ruled yesterday that the arrest figure was misleading, in part because details of "your area" were in tiny print. It said the poster could not be used again in its present form, but concluded that it was not offensive.

The Advertising Standards Authority received 224 complaints, with most saying that the phrase "go home" was offensive and harmful, reminiscent of slogans of racist groups.