MTA Will Debate Ad Policy Following 'Savages' Ad Backlash

The MTA will begin an internal debate about its advertisement policies on Thursday, stemming from the backlash from allowing a pro-Israel ad that referred to some Muslims as “savages,” says the Wall Street Journal.

One of the ten ads, posted in select subway stations, reads: "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel, Defeat Jihad."

Muslims around the country have decried the ads, believing that they paint a very broad and unfair picture. On Tuesday, Egyptian-American activist Mona Eltahawy was arrested after trying to cover one of the advertisements with pink spray paint.

In July, U.S. District Court Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan ruled in favor of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, the group behind the ads, calling the MTA’s guidelines too broad.

The MTA’s board of directors are expected to debate during Thursday’s board meeting about how to move forward from the ruling, and better clarify the MTA’s stance on provocative and political ads.

Board members told the paper they were preparing to weigh a number of options, like more effectively spelling out the types of speech that are forbidden, drop restrictions on offensive political statements altogether, or limit ads to only commercial messages.