Church Singing Sheep Upsets TV Viewers in Croatia

Pan-European telecom operator Tele2, which has a Croatian office, says it is sorry if its Christmas TV advert upset viewers, but it denies that the commercial overstepped the mark..

Tele2 Croatia had been reported to the Agency for Electronic Media for its Christmas commercial, featuring a sheep named Gregor who sings in the church, for alleged violations of the Law on Electronic Media and a violation of religious expression. The Agency ruled that the ad did not violate any laws, but forwarded viewer complaints to the Croatian Association of Communication Agencies (HURA). Tele 2 Croatia has issued a statement in response to the allegations saying that ad campaign’s aim was to send warm and sincere holiday greetings to all Croatian citizens, but it was sorry if the advertising ‘hurt someone’s feelings’ and that no insinuations regarding the abuse of religious symbols have harmed the reputation of Tele2, since the various ‘malicious’ interpretations distort what viewers actually see in the TV commercial.