Jimmy Carr: Holocaust Memorial Day Trust calls out comedian’s ‘abhorrent’ joke about Roma people

Carr received widespread criticism after a video clip of him making the joke went viral on social media

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust has condemned comedian Jimmy Carr over a joke he made about Roma people surfaced from his recent Netflix special.

In a widely shared clip of the stand-up show His Dark Material– which arrived on Netflix on Christmas Day – the comedian tells the audience: “Strap in everyone, you ready?”

“When people talk about the Holocaust,” he continues, “they talk about the tragedy and horror of six million Jewish lives being lost to the Nazi war machine. But they never mention the thousands of gypsies that were killed by the Nazis.”

“No one ever talks about that because no one wants to talk,” he says, “about the positives.”

The clip, shared by Facebook user Alfie Best, has since gone viral and received widespread criticism aimed at both Carr and Netflix.

“We are absolutely appalled at Jimmy Carr’s comment about persecution suffered by Roma and Sinti people under Nazi oppression, and horrified that gales of laughter followed his remarks,” Olivia Marks-Woldman, CEO of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said.

“Hundreds of thousands of Roma and Sinti people suffered prejudice, slave labour, sterilisation and mass murder simply because of their identity – these are not experiences for mockery”.

Marks-Woldman said the “widespread ignorance” over the persecution of Roma people by the Nazis needed to be addressed, and urged people to “learn more about the past and the experiences of Roma people today”.

The Independent has contacted Carr and Netflix for comment.

Last April, Carr had predicted that he would “probably get cancelled” when he returned to doing comedy gigs after the easing of lockdown.

Carr has drawn criticism many times over the years for his controversial jokes, which have mocked targets including people with Down’s Syndrome, amputee veterans and people with dwarfism.