Lush ‘anti-police’ campaign heavily criticised

Cosmetics retailer Lush has been shrouded in controversy after releasing window displays described by many on social media as “anti-police”.

According to Lush the window displays are aimed at the undercover policing scandal and at highlighting the “current lack of progress of the Undercover Policing Inquiry and the granting of anonymity to key police witnesses”. Lush claimed it was not “an anti-police” campaign.

Many people on social media including high ranking police officers disagree however, with one widow of a police officer murdered on duty saying she was “appalled at the campaign”.

As the widow of a police officer murdered on duty I am appalled at the campaign by @LushLtd the police service should be supported and respected. Who do Lush call when they have a shoplifter, their staff are abused or their stores broken into? Hang your heads in shame.

— Christine Fulton (@CFMBE) June 1, 2018

I completely support any investigation into extreme police undercover tactics. I don’t support @LushLtd in their spread of hatred for the ENTIRE police force, the majority of which are honourable people of integrity, doing a difficult job. Terrible campaign. #Lush

— Nicky Scott (@NickyJaneScott) June 1, 2018

https://twitter.com/BenjaminWareing/status/1002556098237419520

https://twitter.com/HantsPCMark/status/1002476775086190592

Others have come out in support of the campaign saying that they were “glad that Lush has chosen to support the women who were victims of #SpyCops”.

https://twitter.com/bethanyrutter/status/1002490194405281792

Sorry, let's point our criticism in the right direction (as @LushLtd are). Just one #spycops story: The Metropolitan police are being sued by a man who discovered that the father who abandoned him as a child assigned to spy on his mother. https://t.co/1cZhyHvdu7

— Keith TaylorMEP 2010-19 (@GreenKeithMEP) June 1, 2018

I'm so glad that Lush has chosen to support the women who were victims of #SpyCops this outrageous scandal hasn't had nearly enough coverage, and it's telling that the people angry at Lush don't even know what the police did.

— 𝗧. 𝗦. 𝗞𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 (@theshiteknight) June 1, 2018

https://twitter.com/fragments_lxght/status/1002519108678770690

One store in Southampton has reportedly refused to display images and posters relating to the campaign.

https://twitter.com/Hantsfedchair/status/1002523333345398784

Mark Constantine founder of Lush said: “Confidence in the police will never be restored until this public inquiry does its job.”

While the vice-chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, Che Donald said the campaign was “very poorly thought out” adding that “the overwhelmingly large majority of police” had “nothing to do with this undercover enquiry”.