Downing Street has slammed comedian Jimmy Carr’s remarks about the Holocaust saying “it’s unacceptable to make light of genocide”.
It comes after Health Secretary Sajid Javid suggested people should boycott Carr amid ongoing controversy surrounding his comments about the Holocaust and the traveller community.
Carr, one of the nation’s best-known comedians, provoked uproar after joking in his recent Netflix special, His Dark Material, about the murder of thousands of members of the Traveller community.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “These comments are deeply disturbing and it’s unacceptable to make light of genocide.”
Asked whether Boris Johnson would like to see broadcasters who host Mr Carr to take action, such as taking him off their screens, he added: “Broadly, we are looking at toughening measures for social media and streaming platforms who don’t tackle harmful content on their platforms.
“We are looking at regulatory changes for those streaming companies.”
He added: “Any change in legislation needs to be proportionate to ensure freedom of speech that is within the law is not stifled.”
Pressed on whether the Prime Minister would like to see Netflix remove the Carr footage from their service, the spokesman added: “That will be a matter for them.
“We are clear that mocking the atrocities of the Holocaust is unacceptable.”
Mr Javid told Times Radio on Monday the joke was "horrid".
He said: “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."
The Traveller Movement, a charity which supports the UK traveller community, has called for Netflix to remove the segment, labelling it “nothing short of a celebration of genocide”.
In a petition, the charity said: “We appreciate that comedy is subjective but in our view when punchlines are indistinguishable from the genuinely-held views of fascists and Neo-Nazis, a line has very clearly been crossed.”
It added: “There is no legitimate basis for this ‘joke’, and no positive to its inclusion which outweighs the profoundly negative impact it produces.”
The comments have also been condemned by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and The Auschwitz Memorial.
According to reports, Carr appeared to address the controversy during an appearance at the Whitley Bay Playhouse in Tyneside on Saturday.
According to the Mirror, Carr told the audience: "The joke that ends my career is already out there."
After being heckled by a woman who asked, “Are we going to talk about the Holocaust,” Carr reportedly replied: “We are going to talk about cancel culture, the whole thing”.
Last week, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries suggested new laws could hold to account streaming sites such as Netflix for airing comments like those made by Carr.
Fellow comedian David Baddiel, a close friend of Carr who has written widely about antisemitism, has also criticised him over the joke, describing it as "mean-spirited" and "cruel".
Carr issued a "trigger warning" to the audience at the beginning of his Netflix special and warned viewers it contained "terrible things".
