±±¾©Èü³µpk10ing group Led By Donkeys has accused Sainsbury’s, Kellogg, Comparethemarket, The National Lottery, Sky’s Now TV and Halfords of “paying” for Nigel Farage to attack the Royal National Lifeboat Institution on his GB News TV show.
Led By Donkeys, which made its name with a series of guerilla posters exposing the hypocrisy of pro-Brexit politicians, before becoming a legitimate organisation in 2019, has waited until now to target GB News, following the channel’s 13 June launch.
Led By Donkeys said it was prompted to act after Farage, the former UKIP leader, who became a presenter on the self-declared “anti-woke” news channel in July, described the RNLI as a “taxi service” for migrants on his GB News show.
The group used two adjacent poster sites in Southampton to inform passers-by – and social media users – of those brands advertising on GB News, which it argues tacitly support Farage’s comments.
On the left-hand poster, the copy reads: "These companies pay for Nigel Farage to attack RNLI lifeboat crews on his TV show." A red arrow then directs the eye to the right-hand poster, which carries the logos of each of the brands.
The images have received tens of thousands of likes on Led By Donkeys’ Twitter feed.
Hey and . You advertise on GBNews. Are you okay paying Nigel Farage's salary? (Location: Southampton)
— Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys)
±±¾©Èü³µpk10 has contacted the advertisers targeted on the poster, as well as GB News.
A spokesperson for National Lottery operator Camelot said players helped it "deliver £36m for good causes every week".
"Television advertising is one of the most effective ways for The National Lottery to connect with its millions of players but, as they all have different viewing habits, the most efficient way for us to reach as many of them as possible... is to advertise across a very broad range of channels.
"Our commercial decisions about where we advertise are therefore guided by this, and not the editorial stance of a particular outlet."
At the time of writing, a PR representative for Halfords declined to comment, while the remainder are yet to issue a response.
Led By Donkeys said in a statement: "This is the first time that we have said anything about GB News. Andrew Neil [the founding chairman of the channel] asked people not to jump to conclusions, to wait and see how the channel evolves.
"Well, now we have seen how it’s evolved. It’s employing Nigel Farage to attack RNLI lifeboat crews saving lives on the channel. We're not sure why Sainsbury’s want their brand associated with Nigel Farage."
GB News has had a turbulent time since its launch day when it outperformed the two main news channels, BBC News and Sky News.
Some brands and agencies have boycotted the channel after pressure from media campaigning group Stop Funding Hate; Neil took an extended break from presenting on GB News after only two weeks; and the channel has suffered technical hitches and attracted an audience of zero for some its broadcasts.
Critics have claimed GB News is an attempt to create a British version of right-wing US channel Fox News, although Neil and other senior colleagues have insisted it is committed to "impartial journalism".
Farage was brought into the channel in an attempt to reverse declining audience numbers.
Led By Donkeys took the inspiration for its "donkeys" name from a slur used to describe incompetent generals leading British infantry during the First World War.
The group has broadened its scope beyond Brexit – for instance, last year it urged prime minister Boris Johnson to provide more PPE for frontline workers.