Promogroup may not participate further in 'racist van' campaign

Promogroup, the advertising agency behind the Home Office's 'racist vans' publicity stunt appear to have been thrown by the angry reaction to the campaign 

Green Party member David Walker told me this afternoon:

I just called the company.  They are passing my details on to the Home Office.  They said the campaign is close to finishing and they would reconsider carefully if they were asked to extend it or do it again.  I’ve asked for my comments to be noted on their file and I’ve left my name and number with them.

He added that the person he spoke to clearly understood his references to the EDL, mosque attacks etc.

I also spoke to the agency who said that the campaign was almost over. It had started on Monday and would finish soon. The person I spoke to would not give me a quote and said I should take up the issue with the Home Office. 

However, a few minutes later he rang back having read the postings about the van on Wembley Matters. He said  this was 'all very well but "direct action when the vans are seen in the area or we find where they are garaged" sounds a bit threatening'. I did a verbal shrug. He then struggled to say again that the campaign was finishing 'in Brent' and when I tried to pin him down said the last van would be on Saturday - the campaign had been going since Monday.  He went on to say that he wasn't  closely involved, but the agency  had received a 'variety' of calls  including some from immigrants asking for help to go home.

He didn't comment when I asked how many were asking for cabs.