Downing Street: Jimmy Carr's genocide joke is 'deeply disturbing' and 'unacceptable'
Downing Street has commented on Jimmy Carr's genocide joke, calling it 'deeply disturbing'.
Carr has been under pressure since a clip from his latest Netflix special, His Dark Material, started doing the rounds on social media last week.
In the clip, the 8 out of 10 Cats host comments on the awfulness of "6 million Jewish lives being lost" before going on to say "thousands of Gypsies" being killed by the Nazis was one of "the positives" of the Holocaust.
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Asked about Carr's joke, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesperson said: “Those comments are deeply disturbing and it is unacceptable to make light of genocide.”
However, the spokesperson refused to comment on whether the special should remain on Netflix, saying: “I’m not necessarily going to draw on a specific example. We are clear that any change in legislation should be proportionate to ensure freedom of speech that is within the law is not stifled.”
He continued that it was a "matter for them" referring to Netflix on whether they should remove Carr's show.
Other members of government have been more direct in their criticism of the comedian.
Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, called on people to boycott the comedian and his work and called the joke "horrid". He went on to tell Times Radio: “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.”
Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries also said that Carr's comments were "abhorrent" and "shouldn't be on television".
Downing Street had previously announced new legislation that would give the government greater control over the content on streaming services which are currently not regulated in the same way as TV channels, which are overseen by Ofcom.
Carr has also been criticised by organisations such as Hope Not Hate, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and the Auschwitz Memorial.
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