“You have to see it to believe it”: An ad from FN Herstle’s US subsidiary has sparked controversy

In celebration of the US national holiday Independence Day, FN Herstle’s US branch released a particularly striking promotional video. It depicts many symbols of the American nation coming up for fireworks.

Three disguised characters, namely the Statue of Liberty, the American Eagle and Uncle Sam, land in a 4×4 in the middle of the desert, carrying Sniper Machine Guns (FN Scar) and happily shooting fireworks.

The ad was poorly received the day a new shooting killed at least six people and injured 26 others during a march near Chicago. On Twitter, many netizens condemned the bad taste of the capsule.

“For July 4, the American subsidiary of FN Herstal, a 100% Wallonia-owned arms company, is providing more unconscious communication than usual. You have to believe it”, condemned François Gross, Campaign Coordinator of Amnesty, for example. International Belgium. “But how does the Walloon government, the sole shareholder, put up with this nonsense?”

The Walloon government has yet to respond.