Why are Colombians so angry with Toulouse lawyers?

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Could this be an unfortunate interpretation? The latest communication campaign Lawyers from the Toulouse Bar, although very discreet on the matter, seems to have caused an outcry among certain residents of the Pink City.

An online petition is running currently on the Change.org platform. With 851 signatures at the time of writing this article, it demands “the immediate withdrawal of a stigmatizing advertisement”, and “a public apology from the Toulouse Bar to the Colombian community. » But why so much commotion?

A powerful advertising campaign

Since mid-September 2024, four poster models have been circulating in the Pink City. “You don’t have to be a relative of the rock legend to hire a lawyer. » “You don’t need to be the head of an influence agency to call on a lawyer. » “No need to have evaded the carbon tax to call on a lawyer. » And the fourth: “You don’t need to be the head of a Colombian cartel to call on a lawyer. »

A stigmatizing advertisement for Colombians?

It is this last slogan that the Colombian diaspora in France. “This ad is deeply stigmatizing, xenophobic and encourages hate speech against the Colombian community,” writes the president of the international solidarity association Join a Town, Juan Felipe Mesa Ramirez, in the presentation of the petition.

He adds: “For many years, members of the Colombian diaspora in France have worked tirelessly to change the negative image associated with our country. The assimilation of Colombia to drug cartels reinforces harmful and falsely generalized stereotypes, which not only offend our community, but also distort the complex and plural reality of our country. »

References to pop culture and Netflix series

The “punchy” formula used by the Toulouse Bar Association actually refers to Pablo Escobar, the leader of the cartel in the series broadcast on Netflix, « Narcos ». “We did not do this in relation to the Colombian community, but in reference to pop culture and series”, confirms the Order of Lawyers in Toulouse news.

Far be it from them to offend Colombians, as Juan Felipe Mesa Ramirez deplores in his publication. “We had no desire to stigmatize Colombia or the Colombian people,” says Thomas Neckebroeck, the vice-president of Toulouse, who also explained himself to a Colombian radio station in an interview.

For its first large-scale local advertising campaign, the Toulouse Bar rather intended to use a humorous tone in order to promote the 30 specializations and 20 dominant activities offered by its 1,800 lawyers.

The intention of this campaign is first of all to communicate the fact that the lawyer is accessible to everyone. Whether we are powerful or not. We are here to support, defend and advise.

Campaign ends tomorrow

One of the two wishes of the Join a Town association will still be granted, since the advertising campaign ends Tuesday, October 15. After a month of display on street furniture, in the network near the city center of Toulouse, a week on the back of Toulouse buses and a week throughout the Toulouse region.

A short operation that made some noise. Until Bogota.

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