Jimmy Carr has been condemned by anti-hate groups including the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Auschwitz Memorial and Hope Not Hate for his comments about the Gypsy, Roma and Traveler community in his Netflix special.
The show, called His Dark Material, premiered on Christmas Day but received widespread attention on Friday after a clip was posted and shared online.
Carr said: “When people talk about the Holocaust, they talk about the tragedy and horror of 6 million Jewish lives lost to the Nazi war machine. But they never mention the thousands of Roma who were killed by the Nazis.
“No one wants to talk about it, because no one wants to talk about the positives.”
The statement drew laughter and applause from the audience.
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, a charity founded by the government to support the UK’s national commemoration day, said on Friday the pranks were “abhorrent”.
Olivia Marks-Woldman, its chief executive, said: “We are absolutely shocked by Jimmy Carr’s comment about the persecution of Roma and Sinti under Nazi oppression, and horrified by the laughter that followed his comments.
“Hundreds of thousands of Roma and Sinti suffered prejudice, slave labor, sterilization and mass murder simply because of their identity; these are not experiences to scoff at.”
In the special, Carr, known for his stand-up and roles on shows like 8 Out Of 10 Cats, went on to explain why he thought it was a good joke, saying it was “fucking funny,” “disturbing as hell,” and had an educational value.
“It’s a joke about the worst thing that’s ever happened in human history, and people say ‘never forget,’ that’s how I remember it,” he said.
“There is an educational quality. As everyone in the room knows, 6 million Jews lost their lives to the Nazis during World War II. But a lot of people don’t know, because it’s not really taught in our schools, that the Nazis also killed, by the thousands, Gypsies, homosexuals, the disabled and Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
But his justifications did little to mitigate the reaction. Hope Not Hate, the UK’s leading anti-fascism and anti-racism campaign group, said: “Comedy is an incredible tool for progressive change and it’s a shame Jimmy Carr decided to use his platform to celebrate the murder of one of the most marginalized from society”.
The Auschwitz Memorial urged Carr to “learn the fate of some 23,000 Roma and Sinti deported to Auschwitz” in a tweet to his 1.2 million followers.
Meanwhile, Labor MP Nadia Whittome wrote to Netflix urging the company to remove the material from its platform. She said she had also requested an update from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on progress in bringing streaming platforms under Ofcom regulation.
I have written urging Netflix to remove Jimmy Carr’s vile anti-TRB and anti-Semitic material.
I have also requested an update of @DCMS on progress in bringing streaming platforms under Ofcom regulation.
My total solidarity with the GRT communities, today and always. pic.twitter.com/We6MRJVyjb
— Nadia Whittome MP (@NadiaWhittomeMP) February 4, 2022
“By funding, broadcasting and profiting from this material, Netflix is legitimizing and perpetuating racism,” Whittome wrote in his letter.
“The guy’s stuff on his platform doesn’t exist in isolation and has real-life consequences.”
It will be an unwelcome feud for Netflix, which last year faced intense backlash and a staff walkout after comments made by Dave Chappelle about transgender people in his comedy special.
Mikey Walsh, author of the bestselling memoir Gypsy Boy, tweeted that he didn’t know why he should be more “disgusted,” “the kind of racism that we GRT folks are forced to live with every day… which is still absolutely fine.” to demonize us and our demise as a joke…or the screaming and cheering reactions of the audience.”
Absolutely zero responsibility will come from this… we as Travellers, Roma and Gypsies in the UK know very well that hatred towards us is considered a good thing.
Have you ever seen one of the many GRT racists in Parliament take responsibility?
That’s because GRT Racism is a vote winner here— Mikey Walsh (@thatbloodyMikey) February 4, 2022
Netflix and representatives for Carr have been contacted for comment.
www.theguardian.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism