London: Huge posters of Hitler wearing a lurid pink uniform with a love heart, instead of swastika, on his arm band have whipped up a storm in Italy.
The posters, which are 18 feet high, are for a line of clothing for young people and they have been prominently set up in Palermo city.
They show Hitler wearing a bright pink uniform above the slogan "Change Style - Don't Follow Your Leader", The Telegraph reported on Friday.
Local people have found the posters offensive and demanded that they be removed.
"The use of an image of a person responsible for the worst chapters of the last century is offensive to our country's constitutional principles and to the sensitivities of citizens," Rosario Filoramo, a city councillor, was quoted as saying.
Fabrizio Ferrandelli, an official, said: "Having Hitler's face on a poster... cannot be passed off as an innocent advertising message. Seeing these posters in front of schools is an embarrassment."
Daniele Manno, who works for the advertising agency running the campaign, said the Hitler poster was a tongue-in-cheek way of encouraging people not to follow the crowd in their fashion choices.
He added: "We have ridiculed Hitler in a way that invites young people to create their own style and not to be influenced by their peers."
IANS
First Published: Friday, May 21, 2010, 13:53