Prominent PR firm Bell Pottinger thrown out of trade body

LONDON (AP) - Bell Pottinger, a public relations firm that works for companies and governments around the world, has been thrown out of the industry's British trade body because of a controversial campaign in South Africa.

The Public Relations and Communications Association imposed its most serious sanctions on the firm for a campaign it said was likely to "inflame racial discord."

The campaign was conducted on behalf of Oakbay Capital, owned by the Gupta family, whose links to South African President Jacob Zuma have spurred controversy.

The ruling followed an investigation by law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, which concluded that Bell Pottinger breached ethics when it created a campaign that emphasized the power of white-owned corporations and individuals and "was potentially racially divisive and/or potentially offensive."

The firm's CEO resigned over the weekend.