We are writing to raise a formal concern regarding a political billboard currently displayed in Southgate, London, promoting an overseas election campaign in Cyprus.

The advert calls for the “liberation” of areas in Northern Cyprus, using language that describes these regions as “occupied.” While such framing may form part of political discourse in Cyprus, its use within a UK public space – particularly in a diverse area such as Enfield – is inappropriate.

Northern Cyprus is home to the Turkish Cypriot people, regardless of the ongoing political situation on the island. It is also closely connected to the United Kingdom, where an estimated 300,000 British Turkish Cypriots live. This is therefore not a distant or abstract issue, but one that directly touches communities here in the UK.

In this context, the advert is clearly divisive and inflammatory. It challenges the legitimacy of people’s homes and communities, and introduces a highly charged narrative into a shared public environment. This is already generating concern locally and has the potential to undermine community cohesion.

We are also concerned by the broader principle of allowing overseas political campaign material – particularly relating to contested territorial issues – to be displayed in UK public spaces without appropriate scrutiny.

We therefore respectfully ask the Advertising Standards Authority to review this advert under its codes relating to harm, offence, and social responsibility, and to consider whether it is appropriate for such messaging to be displayed in a shared public environment.

We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your response.

Note for readers:

Submit your own complaint: https://www.asa.org.uk/make-a-complaint.html