Jimmy Carr has been heavily criticised for jokes made about the traveller community
Sajid Javid has encouraged people to boycott Jimmy Carr over his “horrid” joke about the Roma people.
“I think we all have a right to react to that,” the health secretary said Monday on Times Radio, “And one of the best ways anyone can react to that is show these platforms, what they think about Jimmy Carr by not watching or listening to him, and that will send him a very strong message.”
The joke appeared on a Netflix special released on Christmas Day, but received widespread attention on Friday after a clip was posted on Tik Tok and shared across social media.
In the special, Carr introduced the comment as “a joke about the worst thing that’s ever happened in human history”.
“People say ‘never forget’, well this is how I remember,” he said.
“There is an educational quality. Like everyone in the room knows 6 million Jewish people lost their lives to the Nazis during the second world war. But a lot of people don’t know, because it’s not really taught in our schools, that the Nazis also killed, in their thousands, Gypsies, homosexuals, disabled people, and Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
The joke went on to suggest there were “positives” to come out of the Holocaust.
Several charities and MPs have criticised the joke and called on Netflix to remove the special.
We join the call for @netflix to remove this content from @jimmycarr's new show.
Solidarity with the GRT community!#StopTravellerHate https://t.co/IamxKiXS5H
— HOPE not hate (@hopenothate) February 4, 2022
Similarly “close friend” of Carr, David Baddiel, described the joke as “mean-spirited” and indefensible.
While Carr is yet to issue a statement on the controversy, he is reported to have addressed the joke during a stand-up gig on Saturday admitting he could be cancelled over the ill-judged quip.
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