Volkswagen advertising campaign accused of poking fun at mentally ill

CAR makers Volkswagen have withdrawn a radio advertisement after complaints from Irish listeners that it offended the mentally ill.

The company’s Irish distributors have also pledged to make a donation to a charity working in the mental health area before the end of this week.

The swift mea culpa followed a string of calls to RTÉ Radio’s Liveline programme yesterday in which relatives of people in the Central Mental Hospital in Dublin, said they felt the ad was making fun of them.