Transport for London (TfL) has admitted that a government poster was mistakenly identified as illegal flyposting. The Department for Transport (DfT) poster, which shows a balding man looking over his shoulder, was widely shared online by people who believed it depicted a woman wearing a hijab.
Campaign Context
The poster is part of the DfT's "See it, Say it, Sorted" campaign, which was relaunched in 2025. According to the DfT, the monochromatic designs were not intended to suggest or reference any particular ethnicity, and the image is meant to show a balding man with a suspicious package in his jacket.
One user on X shared a photo of the poster, saying there was a "disgusting insinuation" in the campaign. In response, TfL initially said: "This poster was not authorised by TfL or our media partner and has been installed without TfL's permission. Our media partner, our teams, and our contractors have been instructed to inspect trains and remove any unauthorised posters found on our network. This incident has been reported to the BTP as flyposting is an illegal activity."
Correction and Clarification
That post has since been deleted. A TfL spokesperson later told The Standard: "This is a genuine advert forming part of a safety campaign by the Department for Transport. As with any campaign on our network, it was reviewed against our policy and this campaign was deemed to be compliant."
The spokesperson added that the advert was mistakenly thought to be flyposting, but has been confirmed to be part of the DfT's campaign across transport services.
DfT Response
A DfT spokesperson said: "The campaign's focus is to keep passengers safe by encouraging people to report any suspicious behaviour or incidents that don't look right. Extensive feedback from focus groups and public surveys informed the creation of the new graphics. For the avoidance of doubt, this graphic intends to depict a balding man."
The DfT added that the graphics were created by a third-party design agency.
