A TV advert which edited Grenfell Tower out of the London skyline has been slammed by families of the 2017 disaster as “really upsetting”.
The advert for the pain relief gel Voltarol depicted people playing football on the Westway football pitches near the council block, which went up in flames seven years ago – claiming the lives of 72 individuals.
Karim Mussilhy, whose uncle died in the blaze, was watching TV on Monday when the advert started playing, which immediately caught his attention.
He noticed that Grenfell, which is currently wrapped in a large white sheet with the words “forever in our hearts” on it, was missing from the horizon, despite two nearby council towers remaining in the shot.
Grenfell Tower has been removed from a TV advert
Voltarol
Mussilhy grew up playing on the artificial pitches shown in the advert, which was used as a relief base in the aftermath of the fire.
He told The Guardian: “It was really upsetting. It seems nobody wants to see it any more, that it’s an eyesore. The vibe I feel is that [people] want it gone.”
Upon taking a closer look at the footage, Mussilhy and his wife said they could spot obvious editing marks on the image.
It was commissioned by Haleon, a consumer health company, and has been running on Channel 4’s broadcast channel, as well as its streaming service.
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It has since been taken off air.
The company has apologised for the TV spot. A spokesperson said: “We are deeply sorry for any distress that our recent Voltarol advertisement may have caused. We will be taking the advert off air with immediate effect.”
The advert is understood to have been intended for foreign audiences, which fuelled the decision to edit out Grenfell.
Its omission is likely to upset many survivors and victims’ loved ones, who last month discovered that they had received on average less compensation than the firefighters involved in the rescue operation.
Members of the public at the memorial at the base of Grenfell Tower in London in 2022
PA
Grenfell, which is currently wrapped in a large white sheet with the words “forever in our hearts”, was missing from the shot
PA
One relative who lost six members of his family said it was “insulting to our loved ones”.
In total, 900 grieving relatives, survivors and Grenfell residents last year received £150 million – an average of £166,000 each – after they settled claims against those responsible for the blaze.
Last month, 114 firefighters received a £20 million settlement – equivalent to £175,000 each.
London Fire Brigade (LFB), which is currently under police investigation, was blamed for causing additional deaths due to their “stay put” policy.
This week, the Grenfell Tower public inquiry announced that its final report on the fire would be delayed.