Campaign “exceeds limits of humour and marketing”, say guards
A cheeky advertising campaign by NOS’ operator WOO has provoked “a wave of indignation among prison guards” who have threatened to file an injunction.
Only launched on Friday, the ad replicates the escape of prisoners from Vale de Judeus prison last summer.
The images show a prison guard on a mobile phone. Behind him five inmates are climbing a ladder over a wall.
The voice over says: “When you’re not happy with your work, at least be happy with the net”, which the national union of prison guards considers to be “a disgrace”.
“They’re making a mockery of a serious situation. It’s not funny”, said union president Frederica Morais. “Prison guards are offended and rightly so. They have always been considered guilty in this situation (of the escape from Vale de Judeus) – and now, two days after suspicions of corruption (in several Portuguese prisons ), this publicity appears! It is regrettable, and we think it is really unethical”.
Thus the union has decided to file an injunction (providência cautelar) in defence of what they term their “good name”.
According to noticiasaominuto, it should be filed today.
Morais continues: “I received many messages over the weekend from indignant colleagues. I am outraged too. They had so many things to pick up and publicise and they went and picked this up! Prison guards are already weakened and they still have to deal with this joke. It is really low”.
Frederico Morais also lamented that the Directorate-General for Reintegration and Prison Services has not yet reacted publicly to this unfortunate publicity.
As noticiasaominuto reminds its readers, five inmates considered to be highly dangerous escaped from Vale de Judeus prison in Alcoentre last September, literally by shinning up (and then down) an extendible ladder. Their escape was being recorded by prison CCTV cameras as it happened, but prison guards were not looking at the monitors… This may have been the ‘impetus’ behind Woo’s campaign, which may end up being short-lived, depending on the success of today’s injunction. ND
Source material: noticiasaominuto
