While comedians frequently give provocative and eyebrow-raising material, when they deliver a plainly racist “joke,” they should anticipate unyielding rage rather than guffaws.
Right-wing cartoonist Andrew Lawrence, on the other hand, certainly does not mind inflicting grave offense, as his tweets in the aftermath of England’s Euro 2020 defeat demonstrate.
The 41-year-old comedian sent a series of heinous tweets following the Three Lions’ heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat to rivals Italy.
Marcus Rashford, 23, Jadon Sancho, 21, and Bukayo Saka, 19, all moved up to take decisive shots on goal but were unsuccessful.
Lawrence responded on Twitter, writing, “All I am saying is, the white guys scored” — referring to captain Harry Kane, 27, and veteran centre-back Harry Maguire, 28, who both scored.
Lawrence then commented in a separate post, following a strong criticism to his comments, “I can see how this has offended a lot of people, and I am sorry that black guys are bad at penalties.”
Referring to Rashford and his crusade for free school meals, he continued, “I would rather he practiced his penalties and the children went hungry.”
He concluded by saying, “Equality, diversity, and s*** penalties.”
Although his account has been removed, screenshots of his communications have been widely circulated around the network. Fellow entertainers and prominent personalities reacted angrily to his remarks, and his agent dropped him as a client.
He is no longer listed on the RBM Comedy website, and the agency issued the following statement in response to the backlash:
RBM no longer represent Andrew Lawrence.
— RBM Comedy (@RBMComedy) July 12, 2021
Their direct statement followed the cancellation of concerts he had booked with a number of comedy venues.
Here are just a few of those who snubbed his act:
I know you won’t particularly care, but we at Chesham comedy club will not tolerate racism in any form so please consider your booking with us cancelled.
— Cheshamcomedyclub (@Cheshamcomedy) July 12, 2021
Following the racist comments made by comedian Andrew Lawrence on Twitter we made the decision to cancel his show. As a part of learning disability charity Minstead Trust, we work hard to promote inclusivity, provide safe spaces for everyone and have zero tolerance for racism. pic.twitter.com/5SE06iIjRF
— Hanger Farm Arts Centre (@HangerFarmArts) July 12, 2021
cheer yourself up this Monday by playing the "tick off the dates as venues tell Andrew Lawrence they don't want him performing there" game pic.twitter.com/opClIhColV
— 959 "hacked" racists (@john3ners) July 12, 2021
‼️Following recent tweets from Andrew Lawrence's account we have stopped selling tickets for his show and removed from our website. Worcester Live do not support hate speech in any form and we are currently liaising with Andrew's agent. We will be in touch ASAP with an outcome ‼️
— Worcester Live (@worcester_live) July 12, 2021
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