Poppy Bilderbeck
Comedian Jimmy Carr has cut his controversial Holocaust joke from the His Dark Material tour ahead of his upcoming gig in Cambridge.
The Eight Out of 10 Cats star came under fire for a 'truly disturbing joke' he made in his Netflix stand-up special about those who were murdered under the Nazi regime.
While initially declaring that he was going to 'go down swinging' if he became a victim of cancel culture, the 49-year-old has since decided to cut the joke from the special.
Carr's change of heart follows an announcement made by the local council in Cambridge of plans to light up the venue of the comedian's gig in the colours of the Romani flag.
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Carr was branded by one viewer as a 'sick racist' after he told his audience a particular joke about the Holocaust, warning them to 'strap in', the joke also mentioned the Traveller community, which he referred to as 'gypsies' in the joke.
Despite the laughter in the live audience, Carr faced fierce backlash online, with leading charity The Traveller Moment, calling the joke 'truly disturbing' and as going 'way beyond humour'.
No.10 even addressed the joke, calling it 'unacceptable'.
Ahead of his gig date at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge, Carr's management reportedly 'assured' Cambridge city councillors that the joke won't be repeated, MailOnline reports.
Counsellor Anna Smith stated: 'I share the outrage felt by so many in Cambridge and beyond, regarding these unacceptable remarks. Genocide is not a subject for mockery. As a council, we are committed to working with and supporting marginalized communities, including our Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.'
The council also detailed plans to hand out flyers containing information about current and historic racism towards travellers, alongside lighting the building up in red, green and blue, the colours of the Romani flag.
Members of the Roma community gathered at one of Carr's gigs in London, which was held at the O2 Indigo venue, in protest of the joke.
Anti-racism activist group, Cambridge Stand Up To Racism, has also stated that it will take to the Corn Exchange during Carr's performance.
The group wrote on Facebook: 'We need to inform him [Carr] that his vile racist jokes are not welcome in Cambridge.
'Our GRT communities are being battered by our government and we can't allow this further outrage to go by unmarked.'
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact Stop Hate UK by visiting their website www.stophateuk.org