Comedian Jimmy Carr was slammed by David Baddiel for making a joke about the Nazi killing of gypsies, calling it “racist” and “inhuman”.
The 8 out of 10 Cats host issued a “trigger warning” to his audience at the start of his hour-long Netflix special His Dark Material, admitting there was “horrible stuff” in his performance.
He continued to joke about the horrors of the Holocaust, writes the MailOnline.
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As a punchline, the 49-year-old then made a derogatory remark about the deaths of thousands of gypsies at the hands of the Nazis.
Carr quipped to a laughing audience, “But they never mention the thousands of Gypsies killed by the Nazis. Nobody ever wants to talk about it because nobody ever wants to talk about the positive things.”
Comedian Baddiel, 57, has now hit back, saying: “You can obviously tell a Holocaust joke that’s cruel and inhuman and mean and racist.
“Or you can tell one that targets the oppressors, or draws attention to the fundamental evil, or illuminates and illuminates the humanity of the victims.
“It’s not the subject of the joke that counts, but the specifics of the individual joke. Jimmy Carr was clearly the former.”
Elsewhere, Irish traveler and badass boxer Paddy Doherty said the “disgusting” joke was an insult to the 1.5 million Gypsies exterminated in death camps.
The My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star has called the police to investigate Carr’s joke.
He said: “He should be examined by the police.
“That was not a joke. He talks about mass murder being positive – would he be allowed to say that about black people killed by the Ku Klux Klan?
“There is a level you don’t go to. More than a million of my people have been killed.”
The joke was condemned by Labor MPs, including Labour’s Nadia Whittome and David Lammy, who called it “despicable”.
Conservative MP and Culture Minister Nadine Dorries told BBC News yesterday the joke was “disgusting”.
It is estimated that between 200,000 and 500,000 Roma and Sinti were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust.
The joke sparked outrage from various traveler charities and anti-hate groups after a clip was shared on social media.
In a tweet referencing the joke, The Traveler Movement – a charity supporting the UK traveler community – said: “This is really disturbing and goes well beyond humour.
The charity has now started a petition to Netflix calling for the “removal of portions of His Dark material celebrating the Roma genocide.”
Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE, Executive Director of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, added: “We are absolutely appalled by Jimmy Carr’s comment on the persecution Roma and Sinti faced under Nazi oppression and appalled that his remarks were followed by a roar of laughter .
“Hundreds of thousands of Roma and Sinti have suffered prejudice, forced labour, sterilization and mass murder simply because of their identity – these are no mockery experiences.
“The widespread ignorance of this recent history needs to be addressed and we urge everyone to learn more about the past and the experiences of Roma today.
“Roma and Sinti still face terrible prejudices, as this incident shows. Please show your support by learning more, challenging hateful comments like these, and following accounts like Roma Support Group, The Traveler Movement and Friends, Families and Travelers.”
