Fuck The Poor Causes a Stir in London

A hard-hitting campaign is shining a light on the streets of London to see whether Brits really do care about people less fortunate than themselves.

Publicis has conducted a social experiment in the UK’s capital for The Pilion Trust, a charity that helps some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the UK, and produced some amazing results.

A man wearing a sign displaying the words ‘Fuck the poor’ was sent out to the streets to see how people reacted to his offensive statement.

Londoners were secretly filmed taking the man to task for the shocking comment, seeming to suggest that they truly care about people in need.

However, the man then flips his sign over so that it reads ‘Help the poor’ and walks the streets asking for charity donations – only to be completely ignored by most passers-by.

A soul-searching film showcasing the man’s efforts was produced with a closing message reading: ‘We know you care. Please care enough to give’.

Publicis ECD Andy Bird says: “We helped The Pilion Trust to make a film that highlighted the discrepancy between people’s attitude when confronted with injustice and bigotry about poverty, and then their apathy when asked directly to help do something about it - donate.”

Savvas Panas, chief executive of The Pilion Trust, adds: “We understand that some may be shocked by this footage. We are more offended however, that people across the United Kingdom are living in adverse poverty."

The film was posted on YouTube today (Monday 7 April) and will be released in UK cinemas later this month.