Comedian Jason Manford Goes Toe-To-Toe With Britain First On Social Media

Comedian Jason Manford was locked in a social media battle with Britain First yesterday after tweeting about blocking Facebook friends who shared their videos.

"Nowt more depressing than finding out someone you know is a racist," he said, before being flooded with comments from followers who say the right-wing group is not racist, and attacking the comedian for supporting Islam.

Britain First also responded on their own Facebook page with a photo of Manford next to comedian Ross Noble with a Nazi flag in the background, believed to be taken when the pair starred in a production of the Mel Brooks musical The Producers, which is based around a fictional play called Springtime For Hitler.

Britain First wrote: "How is it 'racist' to oppose a multi-racial religion whose adherents include black, white, Asian and Oriental people? Is it 'racist' to oppose Islamic extremism?

“Any man who thinks Nazism is funny is a disgrace."

Manford responded: "No, Nazism isn't funny, but Mel Brooks' 'The Producers Musical' is.

"As you know (because I'm, you know, a human being) I am very much against extremists of all belief systems. I also like to put Britain first (note the lack of capital letter). But my Britain is very different to their idea of Britain."

The former One Show presenter – who parted company with the BBC after having internet sex chats with fans – also changed his profile pictures to one showing him entertaining British troops in Afghanistan and another of him enjoying a Ramadan dinner with a Muslim family last year.

It is not the first time that Manford's comments on social media have sparked controversy. Last year he came under fire for joking that, "Jews should have been given a bit of Germany" after the Second World War, in a comment about the fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza.

A few nuggets from Twitter: