Readers in Britain may be familiar with the now-withdrawn #RacistVan1, whose billboard declared: ‘In the UK illegally? Go home or face arrest. Text HOME to 78070 for free advice.’
Now obviously, this is a genius idea. Because if you lived in a country where you could be tortured and killed for your beliefs, and you’ve battled through hell to get into a country that you believe can offer you safe haven, you’d definitely see an advert on a van and think to yourself, ‘It’s illegal for me to be here? Oh my goodness, I didn’t realize! In that case, let me just text the government, on that phone that I definitely own, and hand myself in. To think I could have had a criminal record! I really dodged a bullet there.’
