A former Monty Python performer gave a resounding “Ni!” to the Cambridge Union on Wednesday after the debate club announced a new blacklist for speakers deemed offensive.
Beloved British actor John Cleese said he pulled out of a scheduled talk at Cambridge University based on the “woke rules” rolled out by the Cambridge Union.
“I was looking forward to talking to students at the Cambridge Union this Friday, but I hear that someone there has been blacklisted for doing an impersonation of Hitler,” Cleese tweeted on Wednesday. “I regret that I did the same on a Monty Python show, so I am blacklisting myself before someone else does.”
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The Cambridge Union barred art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon Tuesday from appearing at future events because he made a rhetorical impersonation of Adolf Hitler during a debate.
Cleese dressed as Hitler during a Season One episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus in a sketch titled, “Mr. Hilter and the Minehead by-election.” In the sketch, Hitler gives an impassioned and angry speech to an empty square, with only a local fool and three small children in attendance.
He also gave a performance in the comedy series Fawlty Towers as the character Basil Fawlty, who in one episode struggles with not bringing up the subject of “the war” in front of German guests. Fawlty eventually embarrasses himself by goose-stepping and giving Nazi salutes in front of the horrified German guests, one of whom begins to sob.
Graham-Dixon apologized for the remarks on Sunday. The Cambridge Union’s president wrote a letter to the audience, apologizing for not stopping Graham-Dixon earlier.
“I can see that some of the words I used, even in quotation, are inherently offensive,” he told Insider.
I was looking forward to talking to students at the Cambridge Union this Friday, but I hear that someone there has been blacklisted for doing an
impersonation of HitlerI regret that I did the same on a Monty Python show, so I am blacklisting myself before someone else does
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) November 10, 2021
I apologise to anyone at Cambridge who was hoping to talk with me, but perhaps some of you can find a venue where woke rules do not apply
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) November 10, 2021
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Cleese has been a critic of political correctness for several years.
In 2016, Cleese appeared in a video in which he expressed his puzzlement over the growing need to censor offensive speech.
“I’m offended every day,” the comedian said. “For example, the British newspapers, every day, offend me with their laziness, their nastiness, and their inaccuracy. But I’m not going to expect someone to stop that from happening. I shall just simply speak out about it.”
