David Baddiel slams Jimmy Carr over 'racist' and 'inhumane' Holocaust joke about gypsies murdered by Nazis as My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star Paddy Doherty calls for police probe into comedian's 'disgusting' gag

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Comedian David Baddiel has slammed Jimmy Carr's joke about gypsies being murdered by the Nazis as 'racist' and 'inhumane'.

Carr, known for his stand-up and roles on shows like 8 Out Of 10 Cats, issued a 'trigger warning' to the audience at the beginning of his one-hour Netflix special His Dark Material, admitting his performance contained 'terrible things'. 

In a widely-shared clip from the show, Carr joked about the horror of the Holocaust and 'six million Jewish lives being lost'.

As a punchline, the 49-year-old then made a disparaging remark about the deaths of thousands of gypsies at the hands of the Nazis. 

'But they never mention the thousands of gypsies that were killed by the Nazis. No one ever wants to talk about that, because no one ever wants to talk about the positives,' Carr quipped to a laughing audience.

Baddiel, 57, stated: 'You can obviously tell a Holocaust joke that is cruel and inhumane and mean-spirited and racist.  

Pictured: Comedian Jimmy Carr has been criticised for a 'truly disturbing' joke made about the travelling community and the Holocaust in his latest show the Netflix special His Dark Material

Jewish comedian David Baddiel slammed Carr for joking about the Holocaust on stage

'Or you can tell one that targets the oppressors, or draws attention to the fundamental evil of it, or shines and light on the humanity of the victims. 

'It's not the subject matter of the joke that counts, it's the specifics of the individual joke. Clearly, Jimmy Carr's was the former.'

Elsewhere, Irish traveller and bare-knuckle boxer Paddy Doherty said the 'disgusting' joke was an insult to the 1.5million gypsies exterminated in death camps.

My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star Paddy Doherty has called for police to probe Carr's joke about gypsies killed in the Holocaust

He told the Sunday Mirror yesterday: 'He should be investigated by the police.

'That wasn't a joke. He's talking about mass murder being a positive – would he be allowed to say this about black people killed by the Ku Klux Klan?

'There's a level you don't go to. More than a million of my people were killed.'

The joke was condemned Labour MPs including Labour’s Nadia Whittome and David Lammy who described it as 'despicable'. 

Conservative MP and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told BBC News yesterday that the joke was 'abhorrent'.

During the show, Carr said: 'When people talk about the Holocaust…' at which the audience gasped and he looked down at them, nodding.

The 49-year-old continued: 'When people talk about the Holocaust, they talk about the tragedy and horror of six million Jewish lives being lost to the Nazi war machine.

'But they never mention the thousands of gypsies that were killed by the Nazis. No one ever wants to talk about that, because no one ever wants to talk about the positives.'

In spite of the outrage the joke prompted elsewhere, the audience reacted with hoots of laughter. 

Carr then explained why he thought it was a 'good joke', saying that it was 'f**king funny', 'edgy as all hell' and because it had an 'educational quality'.

It is estimated that between 200,000 and 500,000 Roma and Sinti people were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

The joke sparked outrage from various traveller charities and anti-hate groups after a clip was shared on social media.

In a tweet referencing the joke, The Traveller Movement - a charity supporting the traveller community in the UK, said: 'This is truly disturbing and goes way beyond humour. We need all your support in calling this out #StopTravellerHate @StopFundingHate.'

The charity have now launched a petition to Netflix calling for the 'removal of the segments of His Dark Material which celebrates the Romani genocide'.

Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE, Chief Executive of Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, added: 'We are absolutely appalled at Jimmy Carr’s comment about persecution suffered by Roma and Sinti people under Nazi oppression, and horrified that gales of laughter followed his remarks.

'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.

'The widespread ignorance of this recent history needs to be addressed and we urge everyone to learn more about the past and the experiences of Roma people today.

'Roma and Sinti people still face dreadful prejudice as this incident shows. Please show your support by learning more, challenging hateful comments like these, and following accounts such as Roma Support Group, The Traveller Movement, and Friends, Families and Travellers.'