September 8, 2009

Controversial German HIV Prevention Ads Feature Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein

A German HIV/AIDS awareness advertisement depicting a woman having sex with Adolf Hitler is drawing controversy from AIDS advocates, who accuse Hamburg advertising agency Das Comitee of reinforcing stigma surrounding the virus, The Guardian reports. The 45-second advertisement launched on television and in German movie theaters this week and is scheduled to run until World AIDS Day on December 1.

The ad, which can be viewed online, shows a woman and man having sex. The man’s face turns into that of Hitler, accompanied by the slogan, “AIDS is a mass murderer.” According to the article, the print versions of the ad feature Joseph Stalin, Saddam Hussein and other dictators.

Dirk Silz, creative director at Das Comitee, said that the campaign—developed by German AIDS awareness group Regenbogen eV—is meant to “show the ugliness of the illness, not of AIDS victims.”

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