Does this ad insult China?

gzlaser

FRENCH car-maker Citroen has apologized to China for running a full-page advertisement in several Spanish newspapers featuring a poster of the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong pulling a wry face at a red car.

The text talked up Citroen's position as a car sales leader. \"It's true, we are leaders, but at Citroen the revolution never stops,\" the advertisement said.

The Mao poster is similar to the huge painting of the former Chairman gazing out over the Tian'anmen Square. However, this portrait has been distorted to show Mao with pursed lips and squinting eyes. This image has infuriated Chinese Internet users who saw the alterations as a slight.

\"As a Chinese, I felt greatly insulted when I saw this ad,\" a posting on Web portal Tianya.cn said. \"It is not only insulting Chairman Mao, but the whole Chinese nation.\"

Citroen pulled the ad and apologized to China in a letter sent to the Chinese newspaper the Global Times last week. But some commentators argue people are making too much fuss over an ad which did nothing wrong other than poking harmless fun at a politician. They point out this is just the kind of humor that advertisements often resort to.

So do you think Citroen was wrong to run the advertisement?