Anti-racism leaflets in Devon removed after legal threat

Tsara Smith has walked than 150 miles on a "ramble against racism" this summer

An anti-racism campaigner says she has been threatened with legal action by a local authority because her leaflets too closely resemble planning notices.

Tsara Smith has been walking around Devon this summer putting up posters to help raise awareness of racism in the wake of George Floyd's death.

Mid Devon District Council said while it fully supported the sentiment the leaflets had led to "confusion".

She removed them after the council issued a cease and desist letter.

Miss Smith, 38, said she "didn't have the appetite for a legal battle".

She said she decided to under take "ramble against racism" walks in order to talk to people following the murder of George Floyd in the US that sparked global Black Lives Matters (BLM) protests.

She said she intentionally designed the posters to look like planning notices to attract the attention of people living in rural areas.

Having initially refused to remove the posters, she said she was sent "a strongly worded cease and desist" letter by the council.

Miss Smith, from Tiverton, said she understood the council's position and had now replaced the posters with literature from the BLM in the Stix campaign that seeks to help rural communities tackle racism in their area.

In a statement the council said it was pleased to have found an amicable solution and would "always support ways to promote equality and diversity across our district".

It added: "Despite being completely on board with exploring areas for improved working in this area, we can't support the use of literature which imitates our own for individual use, as this only leads to confusion for our communities, as was highlighted in this instance."