A controversial Dutch television show has screened a comedy sketch about the brutal butchering of soldier Lee Rigby.
Langs De Leeuw, which last week showed the host sucking milk directly from a young mother's breasts, appeared to make light of the gruesome murder in Woolwich in a spoof Eurovision Song Contest sketch.
The sketch showed two men who had been dressed to resemble Drummer Rigby's alleged killers Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale - waving bloody knives and cleavers at the cameras.
Twitter users took to the internet to condemn the programme.
Lee Rigby, 25, who recently served in Afghanistan. The young father is believed to have been attacked while wearing a Help For Heroes jumper.
Scarlett Smith wrote:
'@Langsdeleeuw what hell are you doing? this is totally insane and insensitive. you are doing damage to your country.'
'Someone killed with a machete is NOT, I repeat NOT funny!'
VARA has today released this statement:
'Last Saturday ‘De Kwis’, the satirical part of the Dutch television program ‘Langs de Leeuw’, referred to the recent attack in London. This is experienced by some viewers as inappropriate.
'We would like to respond. The attack in the UK was shocking and is a human drama. This is not only public opinion but also the opinion of broadcaster VARA, presenter Paul de Leeuw and those involved in the making of ‘De Kwis’.
'Everyone handles the feelings that tragedies like these raise in their own way. Comedians often prefer to deal with difficult emotions by joking about them. Many times that works well. An important function of humor is it being an outlet. It gives air. But sometimes it doesn’t work well. The pain and the shock that a particular incident has brought about is so intense that there is – for some – no place for airiness.
‘De Kwis’ is an independent part within the program ‘Langs de Leeuw’ and is written and developed without host Paul de Leeuw. The creative team is responsible for what they do.
'The joke with the two Britons was actually not at the expense of the dead soldier. A very absurd side of reality (the insane attack) was compared to a trivial side of reality (the madness surrounding the Eurovision Song Contest). If people will feel hurt, we regret that.'
It was signed 'The creators of De Kwis'.
Labels: langs de leeuw, lee rigby, woolwich murder
