A COUNTY Durham MP has continued her criticism of Jimmy Carr after joining other politicians to sign a cross-part letter to Netflix – asking the streaming service to remove a “racist” and “abhorrent” joke from the comedian where he makes light of the holocaust.

Mr Carr sparked controversy earlier this month when a clip was shared from his Netflix special, ‘His Dark Materials’, where he joked about the horror of the Holocaust and “six million Jewish lives being lost”, before making a disparaging remark about the deaths of thousands of gypsies at the hands of the Nazis – calling it a “positive”.

Since releasing the clip, the TV comedian has been widely criticised for what many have described as a “truly disturbing” gag.

Read more: Durham MP Mary Foy berates Jimmy Carr joke in letter to Netflix

This criticism includes strong words from City of Durham MP, Mary Kelly Foy, who wrote a letter at the end of last week to Netflix – urging the TV and film giant to remove ‘His Dark Materials’ from its service.

Despite penning the individual letter to Netflix, Ms Foy has now joined 125 other parliamentarians in signing a follow-up letter from the APPG for Gypsies, Travellers and Roma, and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Prevention of Genocide.

Within the letter, it says: “We write to you demanding the removal of the ‘joke’ about the Holocaust from Jimmy Carr’s ‘His Dark Materials’ currently on Netflix.

The Northern Echo: Comedian Jimmy Carr has come under since making light of the Holocaust during his one-hour Netflix special 'His Dark Materials. Picture: NATIONAL/SCOTLAND.Comedian Jimmy Carr has come under since making light of the Holocaust during his one-hour Netflix special 'His Dark Materials. Picture: NATIONAL/SCOTLAND.

“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.

“Jimmy Carr’s ‘joke’ about the murder of gypsy and Roma people in the Holocaust is offensive and disgusting. It normalises and endorses racism – and this is a step towards crimes against humanity and genocide.”

Following the submission of the letter to Netflix, Ms Foy has also further clarified her stance on the joke, which h she has branded “`beyond reprehensible”.

Read more: Jimmy Carr defends Holocaust joke at recent stand-up gig

She said: “Over 500,000 Roma and Sinti people were murdered, tortured, and experimented on by the Nazis- horrors that most of us can only imagine. That Mr Carr felt it appropriate to describe these crimes against humanity as a ‘positive’ of the Holocaust is beyond reprehensible.

“I recognise that comedy can be edgy, and that humour is subjective. However, it should not be racist, and I cannot understand why Mr Carr felt it necessary to exploit this genocide for a few cheap laughs.

“Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities remain some of the most persecuted in Europe and these comments risk fuelling the idea that this prejudice is an acceptable form of racism.

The Northern Echo: Mary Kelly Foy, City of Durham MP. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO.Mary Kelly Foy, City of Durham MP. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO.

Ms Foy added: “Mr Carr’s excuse that his ‘joke’ was designed to be educational is laughable and it is unsurprising that he is already acting like the widespread disgust at his comments is an attempt to ‘cancel’ him when it is simply justifiable outrage at his gutter comedy.

“For some, there seems to be a race to the bottom to see who can be the most offensive and to see who can provoke the most anger to secure the widespread coverage that comes with being ‘cancelled’. I only wish they would consider the harm that their words can cause as they chase this publicity.”

In the aftermath of the backlash, Mr Carr has addressed the joke at one of his shows over the weekend at Whitley Bay Playhouse for his Terribly Funny Show.

Read more: Carr is no laughing matter

During the appearance, he made quips about being cancelled, telling his audience: "I am going to get cancelled, that's the bad news. The good news is I am going down swinging.

"The joke that ends my career it's already out there. It's on YouTube, Netflix, or whatever, and it's fine until one day it isn't."

He was also heckled by a woman who yelled: "Are we going to talk about the holocaust?"

Carr replied: "We are going to talk about cancel culture, the whole thing."

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