Jason Manford has come under attack on social media from far-right political group Britain First after claiming he had deleted some old schoolfriends for sharing their videos.
The 34-year-old comedian tweeted that he had blocked three friends from his personal Facebook account for sharing Britain First videos, adding: “Nowt more depressing than finding out someone you know is a racist.”
But Jason was quickly flooded with comments from followers claiming that right-wing group Britain First was not racist, and attacking the comedian for supporting Islam.
Britain First also responded on their own Facebook page with a picture of Jason next to comedian Ross Noble with a Nazi flag in the background, believed to be taken when the pair starred in a production of the Mel Brooks musical The Producers, which is based around a fictional play called Springtime For Hitler.
Britain First wrote: “How is it ‘racist’ to oppose a multi-racial religion whose adherents include black, white, Asian and Oriental people? Is it ‘racist’ to oppose Islamic extremism?
“Any man who thinks Nazism is funny is a disgrace.”
Jason Manford – Mobile Uploads | Facebook
Jason responded: “No, Nazism isn’t funny, but Mel Brooks’ ‘ The Producers Musical’ is.
“As you know (because I’m, you know, a human being) I am very much against extremists of all belief systems. I also like to put Britain first (note the lack of capital letter). But my Britain is very different to their idea of Britain.”
The former One Show presenter – who parted company with the BBC show after having internet sex chats with fans – also changed his profile pictures to one showing him entertaining British troops in Afghanistan and another of him enjoying a Ramadan dinner with a Muslim family last year.
Jason Manford – Profile Pictures | Facebook
It is not the first time that Jason’s comments on social media have sparked controversy.
Last year he came under fire for joking that, “Jews should have been given a bit of Germany” after the Second World War, in a comment about the fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article