Benetton advertises with Tibetan monk and Chinese soldier

The Italian fashion company Benetton is continuing its tradition of provocative advertising with a new motif. On Friday, it published an advertisement showing a Tibetan monk and a Chinese soldier. The word "victim" can be seen above them. Benetton wants the advertisement to be understood as a "message for peace" and in no way as a political statement, as Welt.de reports. The advertisement appeared on double-page spreads in several Italian daily newspapers and in the French daily newspaper Le Monde. "We in no way want to take sides with China or Tibet. It is a general message for peace, tolerance and peaceful coexistence between peoples," said a Benetton spokesperson according to Welt.de. The picture marks the end of an initiative by the company for the victims of the earthquake in southwest China in May.