Opinion

Jake O'Kane: The Ian Knox and Joe Lycett complaints show why we need to protect freedom of expression

Half-an-hour into the show, the guide dog decided it had heard enough, stood up, looked at me with utter contempt and walked off

Complaints about recent cartoons by Irish News political cartoonist Ian Knox were rejected by Ipso. Picture by Hugh Russell.
Complaints about recent cartoons by Irish News political cartoonist Ian Knox were rejected by Ipso. Picture by Hugh Russell. Complaints about recent cartoons by Irish News political cartoonist Ian Knox were rejected by Ipso. Picture by Hugh Russell.

NO doubt some of you have been offended by something I've written over the last few years, so I thought this would be an opportune time to admit, with absolute sincerity, that I don't care.

Your right to take offence doesn't trump my right to express myself as I see fit, within the confines of the law, of course. However, the laws against hate speech shouldn't be abused to censor or cancel legitimate comment.

And I'd argue that's what has happened with the recent complaints against Irish News cartoonist Ian Knox and British stand-up comic Joe Lycett.

I've long enjoyed Ian Knox's cartoons, marvelling at his ability with a few pen strokes to express what it would take me 20 minutes as a stand-up to get across.

I was therefore pleased when complaints about two of his cartoons to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) were rejected. It concluded that 'no breaches of its Editors' Code had taken place'.

Meanwhile, Lycett this week revealed a complaint about one of his jokes had been made to the PSNI after he played the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on June 8.

He had to give a written statement explaining the context of the joke to the police, who subsequently decided "no offences were detected". The irony is that whoever complained merely provided Joe with 10 minutes of new material and free advertising for his tour.

Comedy, especially political satire by its very nature, will invariably offend someone. Indeed, to call a political satirist inoffensive would be the most offensive thing you could call them.

We're meant to poke fun and irritate the great and not so good. One of my proudest moments on anti-social media was being called both a Lundy and a Fenian... on the same day.

Political satirists react to the news. We don't make the news - the blame for that lies with politicians and others. Indeed, if I wanted to achieve absolute impartiality in my material, I'd need to falsify stories about the 'other side' just to achieve parity of offence.

I've never been particularly worried about the sensitivities of my audience. For years, I've started my live shows with the warning: "I know some of you may be offended by some of this material, so if you're of a sensitive nature, sod off now; don't be complaining to me at the end."

Surprisingly, I've had very few walkouts over the years. There was once an attempted walkout in Ballymena. A man got very annoyed; I knew this as I could see his head turn redder than Sammy Wilson's after a fry.

Eventually he cracked and made a big show of standing up and starting to walk out. Remembering his wife, he gave her a sharp nod of his head, demanding she follow. To my utter joy she gave him a look, pointed at the seat he had vacated and mouthed, "Sit yer arse down". His wee head was incandescent by the end.

My other experience happened in Larne - I know, I play all the exotic venues. I noticed a blind woman sitting on the front row with her guide dog beside her.

I'd love to remember what I said, but half-an-hour into the show, the guide dog decided it had heard enough, stood up, looked at me with utter contempt and walked off.

I may put that in the advertising for my next tour: 'The comic so offensive even guide dogs walk out.'

I doubt there's a comic who hasn't said something during a live show they later regretted. Part of the joy of live comedy is its spontaneity.

I've always loved sparring with hecklers and the verbal fencing involved, but if such encounters were curtailed by worries about causing offence, they simply wouldn't happen.

Few comics will deliberately step over the line into hate speech. What we regularly do is test the boundaries of accepted norms and question the sensibilities of our society.

As comics, we presume our audience are adults who have bought tickets for our shows knowing that some of our material will be transgressive. If you're a sensitive soul offended by such material then simply don't come; instead, buy tickets for a play where you know the script in advance.

But if even after all the warnings you do come to one of my shows and feel offended by something I say, then please be sure to complain to the PSNI. I'd be very grateful - the free advertising would be most welcome.