Social workers tell comic Jimmy Carr to stand down from Welsh show
Published by Professional Social Work magazine, 16 March, 2022
Social workers are among campaigners calling on a Cardiff venue to cancel a show by comedian Jimmy Carr.
The protest follows a joke by Carr about the genocide of Romany and Sinti Gypsy people during the Holocaust in His Dark Material Christmas special broadcast on Netflix.
The comic is due to perform at Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on 28 March. However, a letter sent to the venue signed by race campaigners including the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Social Work Association (GRTSWA), has demanded Carr be removed from the schedule.
Carr has dismissed critics of his humour as “cancel culture”.
The letter, signed by the heads of 14 organisations including BASW Cymru chair Neeta Baicher, says: “This shows a fragrant disregard of the impact and harm his words have caused and a blatant attempt to cast himself in the role of a victim.
“Wales has an ambition to become an anti-racist country by 2030 and is a declared ‘nation of sanctuary’ to all those, including Roma people, seeking refuge from discrimination and oppression.
“Hosting Jimmy Carr in Cardiff is not consistent with our values of inclusion, tolerance and sanctuary.”
The protesters have urged the venue to stand in solidarity with Romani and Traveller people, many of whom they stress “have been indigenous to Wales for centuries”.
An advert on St David’s Hall’s website advises the show is for over-16s only. It says: “Jimmy’s brand new show contains jokes about all kinds of terrible things.
“Terrible things that might have affected you or people you know and love. But they’re just jokes – they are not the terrible things.
“Having political correctness at a comedy show is like having health and safety at a rodeo.”
The venue says it has been assured by Carr’s management that he won’t repeat the Netflix joke. It also plans to light the hall in the colours of the Romani flag during the performance.
Allison Hulmes, national director of BASW Cymru and co-founder of the GRTSWA, said: “While we welcome their solidarity, St David’s Hall cannot guarantee his words and should not be giving a platform to a racist who has caused such harm to a minority and oppressed, community.
“This is not about ‘cancel culture’ this about taking a stand against racism. We remind Cardiff St David’s Hall of their duties under the Equality Act 2010.”
Hulmes added: “We continue in our call to have the performance cancelled and will protest outside the Hall, if this doesn’t happen.”