On November 9, 2023 at Carnegie Hall, a globally respected institution with which Holocaust Survivors have spoken, performed and been benefactor to is welcoming a comic who cracks Nazi jokes and has faced bans in his own country of origin and Europe for doing so. This joke was aired in the United States on Netflix and has faced no such bans. With Carr's upcoming US Tour, it seems that the esteemed Carnegie Hall plans to provide him a warm welcome and to help him spread Nazi humor throughout the country.

We, the Roma and Sinti community that you know as Gypsies or Gitanos, ask for your signature and support in standing with us as we raise awareness and hope to discourage Nazi and fascist, genocidal rhetoric.

In a Netflix special Carr did a skit including the Holocaust of WWII speaking not only to the extermination of six million Jewish people, but three million Romani and Sinti people in the same camps, in mass graves in forests, on the roadside, wherever found by Nazis. His punchline after describing these atrocities against the Roma is that, "No one ever wants to talk about that, because no one ever wants to talk about the positives." For a global landmark such as Carnegie Hall, it is horrifying to our people you would allow anyone to appear on your stage and include this venom in their performance. It's shameful to think you'd approve this.

Carr's disclaimers about making jokes about "terrible things" and his brand of humor is perhaps intended to surprise, educate and cause audiences to pause and reflect on the nature of comedy. Nazi humor, however, is not surprising or educational, it has been around for almost a century has led to the death of millions, continues to be a threat to democracy and still incites violence and murder to this day. Comedians and pundits have come to his defense often claiming that his joke was taken out of context and that we are somehow not informed on his further comments about Roma Holocaust denial. We the Roma and Sinti, and other groups persecuted by the Nazis, fully understand the context of this joke, we are aware of the context of the horrors of the Nazi genocide against our people and we are aware of the continued denial of the Roma Holocaust. We are also very aware of how racists and bigots have already enjoyed taking Carr’s racist joke out of context, affirming their prejudices to and hatred against Roma and Sinti people. Even the most casual look into the online comment feeds of videos on YouTube and social media show how this humor has affirmed anti-Romani racist and anti-Gypsyist prejudices ("This is my kind of humor.") Nazis, racists and fascists do not look to take things in context, they are looking for ammunition to continue to dehumanize their victims and take them out of their own contexts as human beings. Growing legislation in Europe and centuries-old legislation against the Roma and Sinti in the United States indicate how embedded this ignorance is in our society.

Furthermore, the bulk of the discussion on this (and subsequent inaction in the United States) has hinged on an important detail overlooked or denied in most conversation: racism and hatred against the Roma is still acceptable. Roma and Sinti people in Europe face poverty levels for as many as 80% of our population, deportation from countries of centuries of citizenship, denial and theft of history and culture and more human rights atrocities. There is also the reality that the denial of this genocide abounds, and potential removal of the Sinti and Roma Holocaust Memorial in Berlin speaks to this constant reality. In the United States, we have been denied legal minority status for centuries, so-called "Gypsy Laws" abound across the country and the majority of us have faced discrimination. Ultimately Carr has claimed no responsibility for his actions, and no apology has been given. In an increasingly connected world, what we say and who it empowers online requires accountability, which Carr has taken none. New York City is a melting pot of the world, unfortunately, it also is increasingly a welcome place to Nazis. It is up to us to change this.

Thanking you in advance for your attention to this matter.

- Piroska Racz, El Rubito de Granda, Russell Patrick Brown (Members of the Roma and Sinti community)

Sources:

https://fxb.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2464/2020/11/Romani-realities-report-final-11.30.2020.pdf
https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-sinti-roma-holocaust-memorial/a-54396853
https://fra.europa.eu/en/news/2022/80-roma-live-povertyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNhYjB7n5B4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCXcvTA55hk