The Prime Minister has voiced his concern over Jimmy Carr’s controversial joke about the deaths of members of the travelling community during the Holocaust branding the stand up’s comments as “deeply disturbing”.
Boris Johnson, 57, speaking via his official spokesperson, has stressed it is unacceptable to make light of the genocide performed by the Nazis last century which led to the murder of six million jews and as many as one million, or more, members of the travelling community.
Comedian Jimmy, 49, sparked furore when he joked about Nazi victims in his recent Netflix comedy special, His Dark Material.
He quipped: “They never mention the thousands of gypsies that were killed by the Nazis. No one ever wants to talk about that, because no one ever wants to talk about the positives.”
The Prime Minister has added his voice to the growing number of people expressing disgust at Jimmy’s comment, saying via his official spokesman: “Those comments are deeply disturbing and it’s unacceptable to make light of genocide.”
The Government is “toughening measures for social media and streaming platforms who don’t tackle harmful content”.
Asked whether Netflix should pull the show, the spokesman said: “That will be a matter for them. We are clear that mocking the atrocities of the Holocaust is unacceptable.”
The Government was focused on “making sure that streaming services are more accountable”, he added.
The update from Number 10 comes just hours after Health Secretary Sajid Javid, 52, hit out at Jimmy, branding his joke “horrid”.
He added to the Radio Times: “I think we all have a right to react to that, 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.”
Mr Javid’s call for a boycott comes after Jewish comedian David Baddiel blasted Jimmy’s Holocaust joke.
The 57-year-old said: “You can obviously tell a Holocaust joke that is cruel and inhumane and mean-spirited and racist.
“Or you can tell one that targets the oppressors, or draws attention to the fundamental evil of it, or shines and light on the humanity of the victims.
“It's not the subject matter of the joke that counts, it's the specifics of the individual joke. Clearly, Jimmy Carr's was the former.”
Gypsy Weddings star Paddy Doherty has argued that Jimmy should be questioned by police over his joke.
The 63-year-old told the Sunday Mirror: “He should be investigated by the police.
“That wasn't a joke. He's talking about mass murder being a positive – would he be allowed to say this about black people killed by the Ku Klux Klan?
“There's a level you don't go to. More than a million of my people were killed.”
Meanwhile, Jimmy himself has seemingly doubled down on his joke arguing that his stand up is an affront to ‘Cancel Culture’ and that he is defending freedom of speech.
He was on stage in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, when a member of the audience heckled him to ask: “Are we going to talk about the Holocaust?”
Jimmy replied, saying: “We are going to talk about cancel culture, the whole thing. We are going to talk about f***ing everything people. Relax.”
He later added: “We are speaking my friends in the last chance saloon. What I am saying on stage this evening is barely acceptable now.
“In ten years f***ing forget about it. You are going to be able to tell your grandchildren about seeing this show tonight.”
