SCOTTISH comedian Frankie Boyle faced a protest in west Belfast last night by parents of children with disabilities.
He was performing in a sell-out show that was part of the Féile an Phobail, a community-run festival in the city.
Opponents had demanded that the show be cancelled because of controversial jokes about disabled people Boyle had made during a live show in 2010.
The mother of a girl with Down’s syndrome said he had “made fun of the way people with Down’s syndrome speak” and made references to people with the condition “dying early”.
However, festival organisers said last month they were “deeply sorry for any hurt or offence” that had been caused by Boyle’s appearance, and would put in place measures to avoid such a situation “arising in the future”.
The show went ahead after the community group Féile an Phobail said they had a “frank and useful meeting” with the organisers of Boyle’s appearance.
In a statement, Féile an Phobail said it had taken the criticism levelled at it “extremely seriously” and appreciated that there had been “a deep sense of hurt” caused by the booking.
It had “in no way set out to come into conflict with any section of the community and are deeply sorry for any hurt or offence that has been caused”, adding that it found the mocking of disabled people“totally unacceptable”.
“Going forward, a number of ideas were jointly posited by
Féile and the Féile For All group, which included a range of effective measures that Féile would put in place to avoid a situation like this arising in the future,” added the statement.
“Other key ideas that came out of the meeting included nominating a representative from an organisation representing the interests of people with a disability to sit on the Féile entertainments committee; Féile’s continued outreach, dedication and support to disability groups – in terms of advocacy, funding, fundraising development, accessibility, participation and inclusive performance.” There was also an undertaking by Féile management to pass on the group’s concerns to Boyle’s management.
The statement added: “Both parties are acutely aware of the difficulties that the event has created, and are committed to working together in future to ensure that Féile an Phobail remains fully inclusive and can be enjoyed in its fullest by all sections of the community.”
The Féile for All group, which included families of children with Down’s syndrome said it felt “real and deep hurt” at Boyle’s comments.
“Attacks on the disabled, either verbal or physical, will always be wrong,” it said. “While the gig will continue on this occasion, we remain firmly opposed to this act appearing at our festival.”
Féile an Phobail said Boyle’s show was the fastest-selling comedy appearance it had ever put on.
Boyle’s edgy humour has created bitter divisions within the Republican community in west Belfast. One of the festival’s founders, veteran Sinn Féin councillor Tom Hartley, joined the objections to the Scottish comedian headlining the event.
Gerry Adams, the party’s president, also stepped into the row when he supported the organisers’ right to invite Boyle. The former west Belfast MP said the festival never intended to insult anyone.
But the campaign group’s former spokesman, John Lundy, said he would continue his opposition to Boyle. He claimed that festival organisers told parents they would not cancel Boyle’s show for three reasons – his popularity, high ticket sales and the risk that the event could collapse.
More than 2,000 tickets for Boyle’s appearance have been sold and Féile an Phobail warned it would face bankruptcy if it cancelled and had to return the money.
Boyle has changed the personal description on his Twitter page to “quite a risky booking for a charity gig”.
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