A petition has been launched to Netflix by the UK’s Traveller community after a segment of Jimmy Carr’s new comedy special was said to ‘celebrate the Romani genocide.’

In a widely-shared clip from the show, Carr joked about the horror of the Holocaust and “six million Jewish lives being lost”. As the punchline making a disparaging remark about the deaths of thousands of gypsies at the hands of the Nazis.

The Traveller Movement, a charity supporting the traveller community in the UK, said: “This is truly disturbing and goes way beyond humour.”

In a tweet, the charity said: “We need all your support in calling this out #StopTravellerHate @StopFundingHate.”

The charity has launched a petition to Netflix calling for the “removal of the segments of His Dark Material which celebrates the Romani genocide”.

Berkshire is known to have a high percentage of permanent traveller sites and a strong traveller community.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has been particularly vocal regarding this ‘distasteful’ content and has suggested a new law, which would hold to account streaming sites from airing jokes such as those made by Jimmy Carr about the travelling community and the Holocaust.

Ms Dorries said the comments were “shocking and abhorrent and unacceptable, not just because he was making fun on the basis of people who died in the most appalling circumstances, but on the pain and suffering of many thousands of families”.

Asked on Sky News if there was any way this new law would put restrictions on free speech, she said: “No, absolutely not. We’ve been very, very… well because I’m a Conservative, I’ve been very, very careful about that.”

Not-for-profit organisation the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust shared a statement on Twitter from their chief executive Olivia Marks-Woldman who was “horrified” to hear “gales of laughter” following Carr’s remarks.

The Auschwitz Memorial called for Carr to “learn about the fate of some 23 thousand Roma & Sinti deported to Auschwitz” in a tweet to their 1.2 million followers.

A representative for Carr has been contacted for comment.