THE EUROPEAN Union is starting to take on the hated traits of the old Soviet Union, according to a controversial advertising guru currently splitting opinion in Germany and Switzerland.
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| The European Union has been likened to the Soviet Union by an advertising guru |
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Advertising guru Alexander Segert said the EU elite were operating like the old Soviet politburo imposing centralized one-size-fits-all rules and values on everyone in the community.
He added: “They are trying to bring different mentalities and cultures under one roof and level them. And people don’t like that.”
Segert is a deeply divisive figure who has produced some of the most jaw-dropping political and anti-migrant ad campaigns seen in Switzerland in decades - yet the former journalist insists he has a vital role to play in current politics.
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| The advertising campaigns have received criticism |
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Mr Segert was born and raised in Hamburg, Germany but moved to Switzerland after what he called an “EU shift towards centralism”.
The leader of Swiss ad agency Goal AG has been labelled a fascist, a nazi and a perpetrator of hate.
Yet the man behind the controversial campaigns insists the EU has begun to resemble the Soviet Union - a place where there is no room for alternative opinion.
Mr Segert rose to unlikely fame when he signed a poster for a debate in Switzerland over whether foreigners convicted of serious crime should face deportation.
He designed a poster which showed a fluffy white sheep kicking a black sheep off the Swiss flag.
The image spread like wildfire and was adopted by the neo-Nazi NPD in Germany.
Amidst an attempt to sue them for copyright Mr Segert also hailed the success of the ad which he said clearly reached an audience waiting for someone to speak out to them.
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| The European Union is trying to unite nations under one flag and roll out the same rules Segert says |
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Despite huge criticism of his work Mr Segert insists he brings out political debate getting people “red in the face” about politics, instead of ignoring debate.
He said: “The most controversial campaigns we did for SVP led to much bigger voter turnout.
“When your opponent hasn’t any good argument, they always wheel out the accusation of fascism.
“It just shows how helpless they are.
“We can’t manufacture these fears - they are already there.”
Now, as Angela Merkel looks down the barrel off possible defeat in the German general election, in the wake of migrant crime in her country, Mr Segert is also thinking about the future of his home nation.
Preparing for his move into the German political sphere Mr Segert has already designed and distributed free newspapers across the country.
The handouts were stuffed with cartoons and messages about refugees, highly offensive and drawing on fears of the Germans, with one overall message telling them they must vote AfD.
Mr Segert has designed work for ultra conservative Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and the Austrian Freedom party (FPO).
Right wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) has denied working with Mr Segert, and he has kept quiet about affiliation, yet the newspapers he handed out were in support of the group.
Speaking out about branching out into Germany, Mr Segert said: “Merkel opened the floodgates.
“And now it’s the dominant theme.”
While he claims Merkel’s allies in Europe have criticised his work, and the work of anyone who dares speak out, over fears their rhetoric will be successfully challenged.
Political communication must address the issue, claims Segert.
And his previous campaigns have been uncompromising.
One campaign featured ‘soon to be Swiss’ characters Ivan S -rapist, Faruk B - murderer, and Ismir K - benefits cheat.
Segert argues his ad campaigns get people 'red in the face' rather than ignoring political debate
Peers in the advertising industry have heavily criticised his tactics, but have each conceded, they are highly effective in rousing debate.
In Austria Mr Segert was charged with incitement over a computer game he designed for the FPO which allowed players to hit mosques on screen.
In 2011 he was acquitted yet the same year his car was set ablaze outside his home by an extreme left-wing group.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/748743/Ad-guru-Alexander-Segert-Soviet-Union-EU-German-campaign-Merkel-EU
