THE POGUES have weighed in on the controversy surrounding the BBC's censorship of their Christmas smash-hit Fairytale of New York.
On Wednesday, the British broadcaster announced it would be playing an edited version of the song on BBC Radio 1 this Christmas.
The news caused significant public outcry, with many criticising the BBC for pandering to the overly sensitive.
Actor Laurence Fox was among those who took issue with their decision, writing in a tweet: "Here we go again. The cultural commissars at the @bbc are telling you what is and isn't appropriate for your ignorant little ears.
"Wouldn't it be nice if we sent the (proper) version to the top of the charts?"
But the Pogues themselves hit back at Fox with a tweet of their own.
Fuck off you little herrenvolk shite https://t.co/znPSuhkSo0
— The Pogues (@poguesofficial) November 19, 2020
"F**k off you little herrenvolk sh*te," they wrote.
Herrenvolk refers to a system of democracy where only the majority ethnic group takes part, and is typically associated with the Nazis.
Fox ,however, responded to the Anglo-Irish group simply by tweeting the lyrics of the supposedly 'offensive' verse, homophobic slur included.
Fairytale of New York has been placed under the microscope in the last few years for the inclusion of a number of potentially offensive slurs.
The words 'f****t' and 'sl*t' are often cited as being unsuitable for the public domain due to their homophobic and sexist connotations respectively.
Campaigns have been set up to have the song changed and even removed from the airwaves, but are always met with a fierce backlash.
Kirsty MacColl, who provides the female vocals for the initial song alongside Shane MacGowan, recorded a different version of the song with the slurs swapped out for less offensive replacements, and this is the version Radio 1 will use.
Instead of the famous line: 'You sc*mbag, you maggot. You cheap, lousy f****t,' the final four words have been changed to: 'You're cheap and you're haggard'.
