A MEDIA giant has rejected an anti-monarchy billboard from Alba, saying it may cause offence.
Global, which runs radio stations LBC and Heart as well as a large outdoor advertising arm, said it would not carry the adverts from Alex Salmond’s party.
It comes after the same firm refused to display an Alba advert which depicted Rishi Sunak as a vampire because it “slandered” the Prime Minister, according to an email seen by the BBC.
In a new email seen by STV, Global has rejected a billboard showing a profile of King Charles III, a banned symbol, and the words: “It’s time for an independent republic of Scotland.”
Global said in an email to Alba that if the image was “deemed to be politically persuasive with the use of something that is likely to cause offence, likely to get complaints and likely to have to be removed/replaced then we’re told that we can’t carry it”.
Alba said they had offered to redesign the advert to instead include a crown, but Global said this would still be a direct reference to the royals.
Chris McEleny, the party’s general secretary, said: “The Alba Party have already had our campaign in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election interfered with by the blocking of our messaging that aimed to highlight Westminster seizing Scotland’s vast oil resources but with Global having such a huge billboard footprint in Scotland the issue of political censorship is now a growing concern.
“We have a potential General Election next year and the current situation is that media giants will get to decide which messages the public get to see and which messages they don’t.
“Therefore if you wanted to campaign for an independent Scotland with an elected head of state you wouldn’t be allowed to display an image of King Charles on the advert in fear that it would ‘upset the royals’.
“This is a ridiculous situation to be in – we must not allow interference in our democratic right to campaign in elections.”
Global has been approached for comment.
On Tuesday, The National reported how a complaint had been submitted to Ofcom over Global's radio stations' alleged failure to cover the news that the firm had rejected the Sunak vampire advert.
