A comedian's performance has been axed after he made a "horrific" remark about the accident that left dozens injured following Liverpool's Premier League victory parade.
In the aftermath of the celebrations, which saw an open-top bus tour through the city in honor of Liverpool's champions, at least 65 individuals were hurt when a car crashed into a crowd on Water Street on Monday evening.
A 53-year-old white British man from West Derby is in custody on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving offences and driving under the influence of drugs.
Commenting on the event, Andrew Lawrence took to X (formerly known as Twitter), posting: "To be fair, if I was in Liverpool, I'd drive through crowds of people to get the f--- out of there as well."
Lawrence's X profile labels him as a "comedian on YouTube" while his personal website boasts that he is "One of the most highly regarded, in demand live stand-up comedians in the UK.
His comment has attracted widespread condemnation. Actor Barry Sloane, hailing from Garston, retorted on X: "You absolute disgrace."
The Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance CIC condemned Lawrence, stating: "A comedian really? You're an embarrassment to the profession."
Police on Water Street in Liverpool after the parade
Police on Water Street in Liverpool after the parade (Image: Liverpool Echo)
James Pearce, who covers Liverpool FC for The Athletic, expressed his disgust, saying: "Horrific. You're a disgrace". An X user by the handle HLTCO mocked Lawrence's bio, commenting: "'Comedian' is doing some outrageously heavy lifting in that bio."
The controversial post has resulted in the cancellation of an upcoming comedy show at Caddies Southend, a combination of a comedy club and crazy golf venue in Essex. The venue faced a barrage of complaints over the remarks made by the comedian.
Southend issued a statement on their X account: "The event organisers who had hired our Comedy Club for the Andrew Lawrence night, have cancelled the event.
"We do not condone or support the comment that has been made online, and we send everyone impacted by the tragic events in Liverpool our support and prayers."
Following the incident, Mr Lawrence, runner-up in the 2003 edition of So You Think You're Funny, criticised the establishment for lacking "courage".
Police and emergency personnel dealing with a road traffic accident on Water Street near the Liver Building in Liverpool after a car collided with pedestrians during the Premier League winners parade. A man has been detained. Picture date: Monday May 26, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story POLICE Liverpool.
Police and emergency personnel dealing with the incident (Image: PA)
On social media, he expressed his disappointment: "This venue lost their courage after being bombarded with abuse and threats of violence from online trolls.
"Understandable, but disappointing. I will reschedule for later in the year at a different venue Southend, sorry for the inconvenience, have a great day."
He then took steps to limit interaction with his statement, allowing only selected responses. Nevertheless, the public could still echo his sentiments through quoting his statement.
In response to the situation, Colm Brady voiced his opinion: "Disgusting. Violence was not used, read their email response. They do not condone your vile tweets."
Adding to the dialogue, Wallasey-based horror author Ramsey Campbell commented: "Oh, I think they had the courage of their convictions."