One man and the 'immigrants go home' advertisement.

[NicholasTeakozy]

Pukkah Punjabi asks the Home Office to pay for his taxi from Harrow to Willesden. What an enterprising chap! :o

Is he an immigrant?

OK I initially thought this was stupid as the van clearly states it's aimed at people who are in the UK illegally. However he is taking isse with the phrase "go home" and from reading further I can see why.

TS, he describes himself as having "migrant parents".

So he's no an immgrant at all, let alone an illegal immigrant, who the advertisement is aimed at.

exactly. But if you read the article you'll see that he's taking particular issue with the phrasing, not the campaign in general.

what a dickhead. If he isn't an illegal immigrant, it isn't aimed at him.

most of us are immigrants if you go back far enough - in some cases not very far. As long as we are legal, it's not a problem. I do resent those who ignore or break the law.

I can see why he objected to the poster. It's vile. He's not protesting on his own behalf, but for the sake of the people the poster is aimed at.

What is "vile" about it?

Did you read the article Tabitha? It explains it quite well, better than I could do by paraphrasing it here.

Because it tries to bully and intimidate a group of people. That's vile, imo.

I don't want to live in a police state in which the government has to stoop to vicious mind games in order to persuade people to obey the law.

It's vile because it adopts the language of racism "go home". It could just as easily have said "leave the UK". I'm not convinced the scary imagery is actually adding anything either, other than a climate of fear.

I'm yet to be convinced that the people it's aimed at can read it.

I suspect the people it's actually aimed at are white racists voters

Methods aside, wouldn't we not want illegal immigrants to go home?

Offering a callback in various languages isn't racial profiling, a language isn't a race.

Go home or face arrest is no different a statement than don't park here or we'll fine you £60

I would like fear and division in the illegal immigrant community, I don't want anyone who will illegally enter our country to believe that they will get away with it and get an easy ride.

By default an illegal immigrant would be of a different race, they cannot be anything but, it's not racist though.

Apart from a bit of a wag phone call this guy is talking rubbish.

I think what this guy has done is brilliant. Frankly, the posters are vile and intimidating, not the sort of graphics and language you use when trying to get someone, who is already afraid and intimidated, to seek help to leave the country.

These posters are out to appease a racist population.

I understand, however, that people who have not experienced racism, may not understand how horrible the ads are.

P.S. despite the name, I'm not part of the targeted audience. I just think India is the most fantastic place on Earth. I have however suffered from the unwelcome attention of some bigots while living here and abroad so I sympathise with the feelings of those who are targeted by this campaign.

The "go home" is incredibly offensive, "home" is a word loaded with meaning, "go home" is a phrase that says several things in one:

• You are not welcome
• You are not one of us
• you don't belong here

Using "back" instead of "home" conveys the same message without the insult, why did the PR people decided to use the offensive form tells a lot about this campaign?

Why are we afraid of "insulting" illegal immigrants anyway?

Because they are human beings, and using the language of racism to appease those toying with UKIP/BNP/EDL dehumanises them and us?

I saw the new story about the billboard van on the BBC & was just incredulous. The wording reminded me of the "blacks go home" slogan we had in the 80s.

Anyway Illegal Immigration is one of those things that's hyped up massively by the DM press & Government when in actual fact it's a bit like the Benefit Scroungers - it exists, but it's such a small issue that its really not worth bothering about. Just another way for the government to encourage scare mongering in this country & deflect us all from the important stuff, like the NHS being privatised.

'they are not one of us'

now that is vile

But they aren't. They illegally cross multiple borders, illegally cross our borders and work in largely illegal and unregulated areas taking out but not putting back in.

Follow the law of the land, genuinely and honestly apply, fair play.

Fallen - illegal immigrants really aren't the issue the government wants us to believe - its just scaremongering

I completely agree with FallenNinja on this one.

It is not racist.

I told some little shits hanging round the cemetery last night (where a friends grave has recently been decimated) to 'go home'

Am I a big fat racist?