Update: On Friday, 2:00 pm, Lamar Company posted the following on their facebook page:
Serious questions concerning the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign (SEAMAC) billboard in Chicago have been raised in numerous contacts to Lamar Advertising. Since Advertiser responsibility is central to Lamar’s Copy Acceptance Policy, we have tried to contact SEAMAC to discuss these issues but have not received a reply to our telephone and email messages. Therefore we have decided to remove the SEAMAC copy as soon as possible.
By COLlive reporter
Hundreds of people have expressed outrage over a billboard in Chicago which calls for a boycott of Israel.
The billboard, sponsored by the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign (SEAMAC), reads “Boycott Israel Until Palestinians Have Equal Rights.”
The billboard is part of a campaign which is being advertised in “multi-cities,” according to the SEAMAC Facebook page, including Seattle and Chicago.
The ad in Chicago is displayed on a billboard owned by Lamar Advertising, a publically traded company founded in 1902 and one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in North America, with more than 315,000 displays across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, according to their website.
The billboard has prompted “a large number” of comments and phone complaints to the Lamar company, according to a post on their Facebook page on Thursday.
The Lamar Company, while pointing out that the ad “is a message from SEAMAC and not Lamar Advertising,” will allow the billboard to remain, they say in their post.
“Lamar has been in the billboard business for over 100 years and we have developed a strong commitment to supporting the First Amendment right of advertisers who wish to use our medium to promote legal products and services or to convey noncommercial messages such as the one in Chicago,” the post reads.
“We do not accept or reject copy based upon agreement or disagreement with the views presented. We think SEAMAC has a right to present their views,” they said.
Comments have expressed outrage, disappointment and disbelief in the Lamar Company’s choosing to continue to display the advertisement.
A commenter named Brett Abrams wrote, “You just lost the business of every Jewish owned business and organization in Chicago, for a minimal fee. Not only have you painted your business as anti-Semitic, you are also absolute morons for not seeing the larger picture and opportunity to stand up to this sort of hate. How’s that for free speech?”
“Would you allow a billboard to display other hate speech such as a depiction of the KKK suggesting to support white businesses and boycott African American business? Of course you would not, and this is the same thing. This billboard calls for the economic destruction of Israel. Your first amendment sorry excuse is simply not good enough. It’s time you take a stand and do what is morally right. REMOVE THIS BILLBOARD,” wrote commenter Mark Binshtok.
There’s a sly new trend out there: put up the billboard/ad/post/ you name it, and let it do it’s dirty work and then apologetically take it down as though it were an oversight.. thereby keeping the Jewish dollars flowing in. Our motto should be: “You post it, you lost it” (our business and finances).
They said they’re putting it down on Saturday which was yesterday which was yesterday so if they didn’t put it down call
225 926 1000
supporters of BDS are conveniently ignoring the fact that it is Arab workers who are hurt ..because they are losing their jobs…yes, they do have jobs and are paid and can support their families , yes, in Israeli companies, yes in the “occupied West Bank” as in other places. But these protesters,(of whom many are, unfortunately, Jews who have bought into the lies), don’t care about facts, and, R”L, hatred of Israel is politically correct. Hashem Yerachem.
last but not least…truer words were never spoken.
is it possible to reverse the tide? I am not sure even any more.
Too little too late. All the many multitudes of people out there who love the glamor of terrorism naturally hate Israel, the only source of goodness. The Middle East and, these days, possibly the world.
I called, they said they are taking it down tomorrow
(very) pleasantly (very) surprised. Now what’s with the bus company?
I just called them at 225-926-1000 they right away knew why i called and told me the billboard is coming down tomorrow keep the phone calls coming
Thank you to @14.
I called the number above and spoke to the secretary and even before I said anything she asked me “Are you callin about that sign”. I said yes and she told me “Sir, that sign is going down”.
They got the message. Keep up the good work.
A Gut Shabbos to All and to All a good Yohr.
They just posted this on their Facebook page:
“Serious questions concerning the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign (SEAMAC) billboard in Chicago have been raised in numerous contacts to Lamar Advertising. Since Advertiser responsibility is central to Lamar’s Copy Acceptance Policy, we have tried to contact SEAMAC to discuss these issues but have not received a reply to our telephone and email messages. Therefore we have decided to remove the SEAMAC copy as soon as possible.”
https://www.facebook.com/lamaradvertising/?fref=nf
It’s not about first amendment rights and free speech. It’s about a lie that incites gullible individuals to join ISIS and jihadists
Back in 1977, a neo-nazi group was granted the right to march in Chicago, swastikas and everything – see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Socialist_Party_of_America_v._Village_of_Skokie
In fact, the Jewish ACLU lawyer, who championed the neo-nazi “right” to march – when it finally happened, he joined the counter-demonstration group against the nazi ideology.
What an outrage!!!
Folks: While it is outrageous to have this in the United States, the media in Israel, and many left-leaning typical fellow Jews are HAPPY to see this. Israel ITSELF continues to talk about this. Until Israel will come to its senses, this stuff will, unfortunately, become more and more outrageous.
Just pay someone to throw paint over the signs and buses
There’s snug money around to get s person to chuck paint. Cmon we are not angels
Would a sign next to it with a content like “Boycott the Palestinians” be just normal business practices or a hate speech? I am sure you know the answer
The Palestinians should have the same rights as other Arabs in other Arab countries.
The problem is that Israel treats them better and offers them more rights then any Arab has in any Arab Country.
Go to Lamar with a blatant racist message and see if they put up the ad.
SO POST ON THE BILLBOARD:
ALL MEXICANS SHOULD BE DEPORTED
ALL BLACKS WHO COMIT VIOLENT CRIMES SHOULD BE HANGED
ALL MOSLEMS SHOULD BE STABBED
THEY WOULD NEVER PRINT THIS –
THIS IS BLATANT ANTI-SEMITISM IN DISGUISE
We should daven that Hashem helps Israel do teshuva, not through enemies, but by other means. Moshiach now!
this is outrageous! Whoever these people are they dont know what they are talking about!
I can not believe what I just saw.
What is America Coming To?!
Heaven Help .(because man can not seem to help.)
Very true. Communism was Jewish too.
fire can’t beat fire but water can.
Where’s the outrage against the bus company? They’re displaying the same message….
Palestinians don’t exist. And even if they did, they don’t make anything or do anything for us to boycott, so…
TAKE 30 SECONDS TO HELP ISRAEL RIGHT NOW. (For those who prefer a script, one follows below) This billboard is up on rt. 294 in downtown Chicago. How do we get this taken down? Simple. If the billboard company, Lamar Advertising gets enough phone calls that it isn’t worth it for them to keep it up, they’ll take it down. If everyone reading this would make a 30 second phone call (I’m sickened by your boycott Israel billboard, please remove it…) we’ll make it impossible to do business and they’ll remove it. Let’s get it down before Shabbat. Lamar Advertising… Read more »
They took down ANOTHER ad:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/lamar-advertising-company/lamars-position-on-nyc-billboard-controversy/169602976420485
Good idea, but Palestinians don’t actually make anything.
Lamar is entitled to decline any business it doesn’t like, except on the grounds of race, religion, national origin, etc. Note that last one: national origin. So it is ILLEGAL to boycott Israeli companies and products just because they’re Israeli. The first amendment protects the right to ADVOCATE such an illegal boycott; but it also protects the right NOT to. So Lamar could have chosen not to display this billboard, but it would rather not have opinions and just run whatever it’s paid to. Would it also run a white supremacist ad? None of us really knows. According to its… Read more »
As they say “WE WOULD BOYCOTT PALESTINIAN PRODUCTS…BUT THEY DON’T GOT NONE”
Bravo to the two commentators!
how about we have a billboard
boycott palestianians until Jews stop being murdered
Nice idea but your living in lala land if you think that is going to make a difference. How will that get these billboards removed????
Everyone knows that if this type of indignation was ever to be pointed against the African American community the consequences would be immediate. Even government thinks twice and considers (and reconsiders) its every implementation upon the African American community. Because the consequences could be incendiary. I’m not suggesting that we go out and destroy anything, however I’m certain that Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin would be home a long time ago with his family if our Jewish leaders would call for thousands of us Jews to express some civil unrest, such as block the entrances to some of NY’s bridges and tunnels.… Read more »
The reason Lamar Co. is not concerned about the blowback is because of the fact that, sadly, it is most likely Jews that are behind this boycott campaign. They believe that this is a rock solid argument against anti-semitism, because after all, Jews put up the billboard.
We are our own worst enemy.
מהרסייך ומחריבייך ממעיך יצאו
I’m working now on a 7 word card called
“My divine code of kindness”
FAITH
HONESTY
MORALITY
CIVILITY
Compassion
Gratitude
Benevolence.
for support email me at 770newera@gmail
I get that pro-Israel folks would get peeved by this, but I wonder where the legal line is. Can a public business refuse business to folks based on their views? How might this be different than a recent court case that decided that a bakery had no right to refuse to sell a wedding cake to a same-gender marriage. Seems that if you do public business you can’t discriminate to who you sell your product or service, regardless of your or their beliefs.
This is a clear “Sighn” of ignorance and hate towards Israel . I hope we can counter act this somehow.
Change – Rights to Tights