Tourism officials in New Orleans have canceled an advertisement that made fun of the nationality of BP, the company accountable for the detrimental oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The advertisement was canceled after tourism officials received complaints that it was “anti- British.”

The print ad was a playful demonstration of the city’s history and part of an effort to dismiss observations the spill in the nearby Gulf has shut down the “Big Easy” and its celebrated restaurants and music to tourism.

“This isn’t the first time New Orleans has survived the British,” the print ad read next to a photo of Jackson Square in the French Quarter.

The plaza is named after former President Andrew Jackson, who as a general directed forces that beat a British invasion during the War of 1812.

BP used to be called British Petroleum and is based in London.  The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau said its intentions were not to offend anyone but rather to highlight the city’s pride in its history and its often extraneous sense of humor.

Source: msnbc