Rowan Atkinson: Cancel culture is a 'medieval mob' looking for 'someone to burn'

Rowan Atkinson has slammed the Cancel Culture movement, comparing it to a "medieval mob" looking for someone to burn.
The Blackadder and Mr Bean comedian has hit out at the movement which took many scalps in his industry throughout 2020.
Mr Atkinson told Radio Times the growing movement is stifling free speech and rejects any difference of opinion.
"The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see which ends up creating a simplistic, binary view of society," he said.
"It's important that we're exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion".
The British comic has been known to publicly fight for freedom of expression and free speech, strongly campaigning against laws and movements which attempt to suppress open debate.
Mr Atkinson came under fire for his ardent support of free speech when in August he was criticised by online woke trolls for speaking up against Scotland's hate crimes bill.
"(The bill) risked stifling freedom of expression, and the ability to articulate or criticise religious and other beliefs," he said.
He has joined fellow British comic John Cleese in admonishing the toxic cancel culture movement.
Cancel culture aims to stifle and 'cancel' people who share beliefs which are seemingly contrary to the political correct group-think.
Mr Atkinson said it is important within society that people are "exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion".
"What we have now is the digital equivalent of the medieval mob roaming the streets looking for someone to burn," he said.
"So, it's scary for anyone who's a victim of that mob and it fills me with fear about the future".
Unfortunately for Mr Atkinson, when other artists and literary figures attempted to call out the movement in an open letter to Harper's Magazine titled 'A Letter on Justice and Open Debate,' they too were cancelled.
Hopefully for audiences across the world, Atkinson doesn't suffer the same fate.