Comedian’s Late Late Show ‘gypsy’ remarks condemned

AN immigrant support group condemned a top English comedian yesterday for his “derogatory” references to gypsies during the Late Late Show last Friday.

The Irish Immigrant Support Centre (Nasc) wrote a strongly-worded letter to RTÉ yesterday following award-winning comic Jimmy Carr’s repeated use of the word “gypsies” during the programme. Nasc coordinator Gertrude Cotter is seeking a public apology from RTÉ and Late Late Show host Pat Kenny.

Following his stand-up routine on the show, and during an interview with Kenny, Carr engaged in a verbal joust with a member of the audience.

He referred a number of times to gypsies. Ms Cotter said the use of the word was “dangerous and irresponsible in the extreme”.

Nasc works with members of the Roma community and supports groups working with the Traveller community in Ireland.

“Neither group would label themselves gypsies,” Ms Cotter said.

She accused Carr of encouraging anti-Traveller and anti-Roma sentiment.

“This is all the more disturbing given recent events in rural Mayo where tensions between the settled and Traveller communities are running at an all-time high,” she said.

“That Pat Kenny failed to pull him up over this and did not challenge Carr’s subsequent remarks to an audience member is inexcusable.”

Nasc said the Roma community has suffered a long and bitter history of prejudice, including the Porrajmos (the Roma Holocaust) under the Nazis, mass deportations from Moldova during the Stalin era, and more recently, programmes of forced sterilisation in the Czech Republic and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

The Broadcasting Complaints Commission said that as of yesterday afternoon, it had received no complaints about the broadcast.

Complainants have 30 days from the date of broadcast to lodge complaints.

A spokesperson for the Late Late Show was unavailable for comment.