'IT'S NOT FUNNY'
Gypsy TikTok star blasts ‘sick’ Jimmy Carr for ‘ridiculous’ Holocaust ‘joke’ & demands public apology
A GYPSY TikTok star has blasted Jimmy Carr for joking about the Holocaust.
Michael Marshall has demanded the "sick" comedian issue a public apology after he made light of the mass murder of travellers during World War II.
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The 49-year-old comic issued a "trigger warning" to audiences at the beginning of his one-hour Netflix special His Dark Materials.
During the programme, which was released on Christmas Day, he spoke of the six million Jewish lives lost across German-occupied Europe between 1941 and 1945.
For his punchline, he made a crude remark about the deaths of those in the travelling community during the horror.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Michael, who shares his life as a "dyed in the wool gypsy traveller" on TikTok, criticised Carr's 'comedy'.
He said: "If you find that funny, I think you've got a very sick sense of humour.
"In today's society, it's so hard for Romany gypsies to integrate into society as it is and this sets us back immensely with this kind of humour.
"Obviously he meant it as a joke, but he should have more sense.
"As a grown man, to come out with those kinds of jokes, it just upsets people.
"People are up in arms. As gypsies, we are very outspoken people. Everybody is complaining.
"Why are we being picked on? You wouldn't pick on any other minority or ethnicity but you want to come for us?"
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Michael, married to Nikia, who also shares her life online, then demanded Carr apologise for his hurtful words.
"People shouldn't have a muzzle put on their mouth, everybody is entitled to freedom of speech and be allowed to say what they want to say, but in today's society, shouldn't people have better sense than to make jokes about the Holocaust where lots of people were killed" he said.
"I don't think the man should be persecuted or have anything done to him, but he should give a public apology to people, especially to the Romany gypsy community.
"I think it's ridiculous. I think we've come a very long way since the Holocaust and I don't think he's funny at all."
Dad-of-one Carr admitted before the show that some of the comments were "career enders".
And his remarks quickly sparked outrage, with campaigners and viewers alike slamming the vile gag.
One viewer wrote: "It’s estimated that around 75 per cent of Europe’s gypsy and Roma population were murdered in the Holocaust.
"Take Jimmy Carr off the air and cancel all his projects immediately."
'ABSOLUTELY ABHORRENT'
Another branded the comment "evil".
"Absolutely abhorrent. I know we joke about it but we have a serious issue regarding offensiveness in comedy," they said.
The clip has since gone viral on social media - and thousands of people are having their say online.
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."
Hope Not Hate, the anti-fascism and anti-racism campaigning group, also condemned the comedian's comment on Friday.
In a tweet, they said: "Comedy is an amazing tool for progressive change and it's such a shame that Jimmy Carr decided to use his platform to celebrate the murder of one of the most marginalised groups in society."
The Auschwitz Memorial called for Carr to "learn about the fate of some 23,000 Roma and Sinti deported to Auschwitz" in a tweet to their 1.2million followers.
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And Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE - the CEO of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust - has also hit out at members of the audience.
"We are absolutely appalled at Jimmy Carr's comment about persecution... and horrified that gales of laughter followed his remarks," she said.
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