The British Gay Police Association refused to apologize for an ad which was accused of portraying Christians as responsible for most religion-fueled homophobia, and is set to appeal against the advertising watchdog's ruling on the campaign, reports the Guardian Unlimited UK.

The ad, which featured a copy of the Bible next to a pool of blood, ran in the Independent newspaper under the headline "In the name of the father."

According to the Guardian, text in the ad stated: "In the past 12 months, the Gay Police Association has recorded a 74 percent increase in homophobic incidents, where the sole or primary motivating factor was the religious belief of the perpetrator."

The Advertising Standards Authority received 553 complaints—from groups including Christian Watch and the Evangelical Alliance—saying that the ad was derogatory, offensive and irresponsible by implying Christians were responsible for most such homophobic incidents, reports the Guardian.

The Agape Press reports that The Independent apologized to its readers, saying it regretted any offense the ad caused.

A spokesman for the GPA the association told the Guardian it was considering appealing against a series of rulings made by the ASA following its investigation into the ad. In addition, the GPA denied reports that it had issued an official apology to Christians for the campaign.

"The GPA [doesn't] see any reason to apologize for an advertisement that was merely stating the facts," Vic Codling, the national coordinator at the GPA, told the Guardian.

Among the groups complaining about the ad was the U.K.-based group The Christian Institute whose spokesman told the Agape Press that the ASA agreed with his members that the ad was untruthful. "It does mean that the GPA cannot publish the advert again," notes Mike Judge, reports the Agape Press. "However, I'm sad to say that the Gay Police Association have refused to give an undertaking not to place a similar ad in the future."

Judge admitted to the Agape Press that he finds it ironic that the Gay Police Association will face no penalty.

"What upsets Christians in Britain is that the Gay Police Association can seemingly place such a hostile ad like this and not have much sanction -- and yet Christians in Britain are being arrested and even prosecuted for handing out Bible leaflets at gay rights events," he told the Agape Press.

Among its arguments, the GPA said it failed to see how the ad could be interpreted as a call to violence towards Christians, and reiterated that it simply highlighted "homophobia" motivated by religious belief. The ASA agreed with that argument.