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Atheist bus ad campaign provokes bitterness in Barcelona

by Dave Keating | January 7, 2009 at 05:19 am

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Following its launch in London, the atheist bus ad compaign has spread beyond the UK, now landing on the shores of predominantly Catholic Spain. Barcelona will begin running the ads on its buses in Spanish, and the privately funded group behind the ads is trying to get them on buses in Madrid and Valencia as well.

Public advertisements from religious groups such as the Catholic Church are a frequent site in Spain as well as in the UK.

The posting of atheist advertising on Barcelona's buses has been branded "an attack on all religions".

Next week, Barcelona will become the first city in predominantly Catholic Spain to copy the controversial UK campaign when its buses use a direct translation of the slogan adopted in Britain by the scientist Richard Dawkins and other prominent atheists.

"Probablemente Dios no existe. Deja de preocuparte y goza de la vida," it reads. "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy life."

Madrid, Valencia and other cities are being targeted to run similar campaigns.

Campaigners say that with 20% of Spaniards professing they do not believe in God, it is time atheism becomes a visible phenomenon.

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Uwe Paschen

at 05:47 on January 7th, 2009

We did have a post out by Terry on the same add but in London. Interesting would be to compare the two and the different reactions that may have arose.