Comedian Becky Lucas kicked off Twitter, plans to now ‘say things out loud’

A JOKE about Scott Morrison has seen Aussie comedian Becky Lucas banned from Twitter. She says she’s the victim of a double standard.

AN Aussie comedian is calling out social media platform Twitter for a double standard after she was kicked off permanently for a “joke” about beheading Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Becky Lucas, who performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year, wrote that she was going to “chop off” the PM’s head.

Twitter responded by initially suspending Lucas, then banning her permanently.

Lucas, 28, released a statement through comedian Cameron James, declaring she would now “say things out loud at a party to small groups of people who will think I’m witty and cool”.

“I guess I learnt we should never make jokes about the Prime Minister because it’s very serious, as opposed to the threats of rape and assault that women get from men on Twitter (which is fine because that never actually happen!)” she wrote.

Becky Lucas got permanently banned from Twitter & asked me to release this statement.

She also wishes to say that she owes me $200 and wants you all to know. pic.twitter.com/L72cF5s4ty

— Cameron James, That Snake 🐍 (@iamcameronjames) September 27, 2018

In an interview with Fairfax, Lucas said she was making a joke, not being literal.

“It’s something I always say to people ... ‘oh, I’m going to chop your head off!’ It’s a joke ... I’m a comedian,” she said.

She took exception at Twitter taking the moral high ground with her when so many other users escape punishment for much worse.

“I’ve definitely had people tweet horrible things at me and nothing gets done about it. But when I do it (as a joke)... it’s quite serious. If a guy says, ‘I’ll kill you’ it’s like, yeah, you probably could. There’s a listing of my gigs out there. If I joke that I’m going to chop the PM’s head off... as if? Mine is so clearly absurd.

“It just came from a bit of frustration and silliness. Honestly, I was just laughing when I wrote it. The lack of humour annoys me.”

Online, she received plenty of support from Australian comedy community, including John Safran who wrote that Lucas had been “booted from Twitter like a common Alex Jones”.

Oh no! Becky booted from twitter like a common Alex Jones pic.twitter.com/l2vrXh1tmS

— 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚂𝚊𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚗 (@JohnSafran) September 27, 2018

Twitter you are complete hypocrites, Becky Lucas makes a joke about our gutless and morally bankrupt PM whi leads the biggest group of misogynists I. E the LNP and condones torture of human beings on Manus in real life and you suspend her account for a joke!

— Jonny Checkley (@Checkers239) September 28, 2018

you: government influence over the abc is a threat to free speech

me: becky lucas should not have been banned from twitter just for threatening to cut the prime minister's head off

— Tom Cashman (@_tomcashman) September 27, 2018

I can't believe those crooks at this website twitter dot com have deleted Becky Lucas' account. Absolute crooks.

— Catcall (@catcallfilms) September 27, 2018

The Prime Minister’s office did not respond to requests for comment. Twitter does not discuss individual cases.