Viva! 8 York Court Wilder Street Bristol BS2 8QH Tel: 0117 944 1000 Fax: 0117 924 4646 email: media@viva.org.uk	6 June 2001 Cancer Charity Forced to Drop Gandhi Image Twelve months after its first screening, the image of Mahatma Gandhi will no longer appear in a fund-raising TV commercial for the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) after complaints from Mr C.K.Yoe, a life member of the animal campaign groups Viva! and Animal Aid. The 90-second advertisements, exhorting viewers to pledge £2 a month to cancer research, featured video clips of Gandhi and other iconic personalities such as Bobby Moore and Neil Armstrong. The complaint was based on the ICRF’s support for vivisection which was in direct conflict with Gandhi’s beliefs. “Gandhi was utterly opposed to vivisection and cruelty to animals throughout his life”, says Mr Yoe. ”His image was being used to raise funds for a purpose that clearly violated those beliefs. For the Indian community in particular, the use of Gandhi’s image amounted to a tacit endorsement of ICRF’s research methods which, unknown to many, included animal experimentation. ” The ICRF initially defended its advertisements on the grounds that permission to use Gandhi’s image had been obtained from Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, a charity based in New Delhi. A spokesperson for the organisation said that its permission would not have been granted had they known that the ICRF funded vivisection. This had not been made clear to them. A complaint to the independent Television Commission (ITC), which regulates TV advertising, had previously been turned down on the grounds that viewers would be unlikely to make the link between the image of Mahatma Gandhi and his strong beliefs opposing cruelty to animals. “Both the ITC and ICRF are guilty of cultural imperialism. The use of Gandhi’s image and its approval by the ITC sends out the message that a person’s beliefs count for nothing unless British institutions agree. It is insulting to all Indians and to a man whose non-violent beliefs and methods changed history”, concludes Mr Yoe. Despite the ICRF’s decision to edit Gandhi from future adverts, the great man will still be seen when the ad is again aired on June 8. This will, however, be its last showing. For further information contact Tony Wardle, Communications Director of Viva! - on 0117 944 1000 or Andrew Tyler, Director of Animal Aid on 01732 364546.