Ricky raps ‘weird fascism’ of cancel culture craze
RICKY Gervais has defended the right to offend people and branded cancel culture a “weird fascism”.
The comedy actor said he supports the right to free speech, even if some find what is said offensive.
He said: “There’s this new weird sort of fascism of people thinking they know what you can say and what you can’t and it’s weird.
“Just because you’re offended it doesn’t mean you’re right.”
Cancel culture refers to a form of boycott against products, people or television programmes perceived as being controversial.
Ricky, who also stars in the Netflix comedy After Life, added: “There’s this new trendy myth that people who want free speech want to say awful things all the time.
“It just isn’t true, it protects everyone. If you’re mildly left-wing on Twitter, you’re suddenly Trotsky. If you’re mildly conservative, you’re Hitler and if you’re centrist and look at both arguments, you’re a coward.” His comments comes as 150 public figures, including Harry Potter author JK Rowling, signed an open letter hitting out against the impact cancel culture is having on rational debate.
The letter reads: “The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, is daily becoming more constricted.
“While we have come to expect this on the radical right, censoriousness is also spreading more widely in our culture: an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism.”
Ricky, 59, was criticised in January for his hosting at the Golden Globes when he joked about showbiz elite.
And referring to The Office, which was first aired nearly 20 years ago with him as cringeworthy boss David Brent, he said it would fall victim to cancel culture nowadays “because people would take things literally”.
He accused the BBC of getting “more careful”, adding: “People have lost their sense of irony and context.”