Locals show indifference toward 'Atheist Bus' campaign in Spain

Madrid, Spain, Jan 14, 2009 / 13:01 pm

Although some are claiming that “religious intolerance” has been the main enemy of the atheist bus ad campaign launched Monday in Spain, indifference seems to be more of an enemy, the newspaper La Gaceta reports.

La Gaceta, which covered the first day of the ad campaign launched by the Union of Atheists and Freethinkers” of Spain, says that despite “so much publicity and so much ink spilled in the media,” most Spaniards reacted with indifference to the ads. The ads read: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

“So much noise, and yet the ads will only be seen on two of the almost 100 lines that the Barcelona Metropolitan Transit System operates,” the newspaper observed.

“Yesterday,” the report continued, “residents in Barcelona generally showed indifference to the campaign, even though every newspaper, radio and television station, both in Catalonia and in Madrid, covered it in recent days.”

“At bus stops, most travelers were not aware of the ads that were created by the atheist association, and the few people that did have some knowledge showed total indifference and only wanted the bus to travel as quickly as possible in order to get around,” La Gaceta said.