International league against racism calls out divisive media in powerful new campaign via publicis conseil

The International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA) has partnered with Publicis Conseil to create a campaign that aims to reaffirm the commitment of the association, in the fight against all types of racism.

Illustrating how racism has evolved, the visual campaign showcases how fewer “French people declare themselves as racist”, which LICRA says has caused racist acts to increase.

The association describes this as, “a new form of racism qualified as ‘ordinary’ and a generated hatred which today crystallises around the fear of the other”.

“Because it is fear that often leads to racism,” LICRA adds. “And in our society where continuous information and overexposure to messages have become a norm, this fear is frequently spread.

“Often irrational, manipulative and intrusive, it takes on the face of current affairs, debates and theories to interfere in our subconscious and still too frequently lead us to racism.”

In this campaign, Publicis Conseil and LICRA wanted to give a voice to this fear, to personify it in order to dismantle the extent of its power.

Starting from individual prejudices, the campaign aims to show how these fears tend to manipulate our daily behaviour.

The film is based on the technology of deep fakes and morphing, with the faces following one another and illustrating the discourse around the fears conveyed.

“By materialising this fear, which trivialises racism, the LICRA hopes for a collective awareness: our enemy is fear, not the difference,” the association said.

Additionally, the campaign also employs prints of each person present in the film, with a message about how connotating their faces or appearances with fear leads to racism. You can check these out below.

Read the article by Christian Fleetwood in B&T magazine.