Jimmy Carr condemned for 'disturbing' Holocaust joke about Travellers in new Netflix special

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JIMMY Carr has been criticised after making a ‘truly disturbing’ joke about the travelling community and the Holocaust in his new Netflix special His Dark Material.

The comedian, known for his stand-up and roles on shows like 8 Out Of 10 Cats, issued a ‘trigger warning’ to the audience at the beginning of his one-hour special, admitting his performance contained ‘terrible things’.

In a widely-shared clip from the show, Carr joked about the horror of the Holocaust and ‘six million Jewish lives being lost’.

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Jimmy Carr. Picture: Arian Ach/Getty Images for Bob Woodruff FoundationJimmy Carr. Picture: Arian Ach/Getty Images for Bob Woodruff Foundation
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As a punchline, the 49-year-old then made a disparaging remark about the deaths of thousands of Gypsies at the hands of the Nazis.

In a tweet referencing the joke, The Traveller Movement – a charity supporting the traveller community in the UK, said: ‘This is truly disturbing and goes way beyond humour.

‘We need all your support in calling this out #StopTravellerHate @StopFundingHate.’

The charity have now launched a petition to Netflix calling for the ‘removal of the segments of His Dark Material which celebrates the Romani genocide’.

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In a tweet, Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, has also urged Netflix to remove Carr’s ‘vile anti-GRT and antisemitic material’.

In a synopsis of the programme, which aired on Christmas Day, it says the special features jokes which are ‘career enders.

Similarly, not-for-profit organisation the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust shared a statement on Twitter from their CEO Olivia Marks-Woldman who was ‘horrified’ to hear ‘gales of laughter’ following Carr’s remarks.

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Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, added on Twitter: ‘These comments from Jimmy Carr are beyond tasteless.

‘The targeting of Roma and Sinti during the Holocaust is no laughing matter. Deeply offensive. I also don’t understand how this was aired @netflix.’

Hope Not Hate, the anti-fascism and anti-racism campaigning group, also condemned the comedian’s joke on Friday.

In a tweet, they said: ‘Comedy is an amazing tool for progressive change and it’s such a shame that @jimmycarr decided to use his platform to celebrate the murder of one of the most marginalised groups in society.’

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The Auschwitz Memorial called for Carr to ‘learn about the fate of some 23 thousand Roma & Sinti deported to Auschwitz’ in a tweet to their 1.2 million followers.

They added: ‘It’s sad to hear words that can fuel prejudice, hurt people & defile memory of their tragedy.’

Sharing a statement on Twitter, the charity Friends, Families, Travellers has said it is ‘disgusted and outraged’ by the comedian’s comments, adding that murder is ‘no laughing matter’.

A representative for Carr has been contacted for comment.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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