Rowan Atkinson backed Boris Johnson’s burka ‘joke’ – our favourite 17 responses
Daily Mail readers aren’t the only ones backing Boris Johnson today over the Tory party investigation into his comments about women wearing burkas looking like letterboxes and bank robbers.
Rowan Atkinson is behind him as well. Here’s what the rubber faced funnyman had to say in today’s Times.
Rowan Atkinson says Boris's burka comments were funny and urges him not to apologise. Via @thetimes pic.twitter.com/WnI23FisCI
— David Jack (@DJack_Journo) August 9, 2018
Here’s his letter.
Here’s Rowan Atkinson’s letter to @thetimes, defending the freedom to make jokes about religion and arguing “no apology is required” by @BorisJohnson. pic.twitter.com/zl9Gg9ZMcG
— Mark Wallace (@wallaceme) August 10, 2018
‘As a lifelong beneficiary of the freedom to make jokes about religion, I do think that Boris Johnson’s joke about wearers of the burka resembling letterboxes is a pretty good one.
All jokes about religion cause offence, so it’s pointless apologising for them. You should really only apologise for a bad joke. On that basis, no apology is required.’
And here’s what people had to tell Atkinson.
1.
While I've always agreed w/ Rowan Atkinson that we should be allowed to joke about religion & be free to offend, I don't think Boris was joking as such. His comments play into the much wider issue of accelerating populism & the tacit endorsement of far-right political discourse.
— Richard Littler (@richard_littler) August 10, 2018
2.
https://twitter.com/93rdmin/status/1027668670762430464
3.
It is not a question of Boris Johnson's 'right to offend', Rowan Atkinson, he is an MP – it is scandalous for him to repeatedly dehumanise minorities and make bigoted jokes.
Politics is public service, yet he squats in a taxpayer-funded mansion mocking those who pay for it. pic.twitter.com/Tmrx4bT8xc
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) August 10, 2018
4.
I guess as a rich white guy Rowan Atkinson must get a lot of abuse in the street from thick white guys egged on by bigoted politicians. What a tosspot.
— Red North (@RednorthUK) August 10, 2018
5.
Once again, free speech is not an issue here. It is Johnson's judgement in how he exercises that freedom that is in question. If Rowan Atkinson said it, it still wouldn't be very funny, but he's not an MP and he doesn't (as far as I know) want to be Prime Minister. https://t.co/qmu7dmVYAt
— Mark Stockwell (@Mark_Stockwell) August 9, 2018
I don’t believe Boris’s intention is to ‘joke’ per se, but to broadcast political ‘signals’ – little manifestos – to British voters of a particular persuasion and to appeal to, and gain the approval of, like-minded international political players.
— Richard Littler (@richard_littler) August 10, 2018
6.
Call me psychic but I have a feeling Rowan Atkinson isn't going to be subjected to the usual ignorant right-wing insistence that wealthy 'luvvies' should stay out of politics…
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) August 10, 2018
7.
Of course we should have the ability to make jokes about religion. That’s a hobby horse of Rowan Atkinson’s. But Boris Johnson wasn’t doing that. It was a calculated act – playing to the braying, frothing mob.
— Otto English (@Otto_English) August 10, 2018
8.
To be fair to Rowan Atkinson, he knows what it's like to be publicly maligned based on his faith, he's made three Johnny English films.
— John Rain (@MrKenShabby) August 10, 2018