A TV advert has been pulled from the airwaves ‘with immediate effect’ after being criticised for editing Grenfell Tower from the skyline.
The ad for pain relief gel Voltarol showed people playing football at Westway Sports Centre in North Kensington, close to where 72 people died when a fire ripped through the tower block in 2017.
But Karim Mussilhy, whose uncle Hesham Rahman was among the victims, noticed the structure – now wrapped in sheeting with a banner reading ‘forever in our hearts’ – was missing.
He said: ‘It was really upsetting. It seems nobody wants to see it any more, that it’s an eyesore. The vibe I feel is that [people] want it gone.’
Mr Mussilhy told the Guardian he recognised the horizon because he used to play on the same pitches, just like other members of the Grenfell community, and spotted signs of editing.
A spokesperson for Haleon, the health company that commissioned the advert, said: ‘We are deeply sorry for any distress that our recent Voltarol advertisement may have caused.
‘We will be taking the advert off air with immediate effect.’
Campaign group Grenfell United, which represents survivors and bereaved families of the west London fire, shared a post from another user criticising the advert on social media.
The post on X said it was ‘upsetting’ to see the tower edited out, adding: ‘We still await justice yet phasing out Grenfell has [begun].’
Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: ‘We share the concerns of the families. You can’t edit out Grenfell, and we all have a duty to continue learning from it.’
This week, the Grenfell Tower public inquiry announced it was not ready to publish its final report ahead of the seventh anniversary of the inferno.
It means any potential police investigation leading to corporate manslaughter and gross negligence charges in the wake of a refurbishment using combustible materials will also be pushed back.
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