Artists Abandon Jerry Seinfeld-Headlined Festival Over Political Tensions
Multiple comedians abruptly pulled out of a comedy festival headlined by Jerry Seinfeld as political tensions seemingly boiled over.
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Acts participating in the MEO Commedia a La Carte Fest (Lisbon International Humour Festival) in Portugal pulled the plug on their performances, but stopped short of pointing their fingers directly at Seinfeld.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Inês Aires Pereira (@ines_ap)
Actress Inês Aires Pereira announced Saturday that her show “Namastê” would no longer be part of the lineup and explained that “one of the names insistently defends ideas and acts that I consider indefensible.”
“We cannot relativize or normalize a genocide,” she wrote on social media.
She captioned her post with the words, “My dears, there will be more occasions to watch “Namastê” because I’m back with this show, after a season dedicated to my creation. It just won’t be in this context.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Filipe Homem Fonseca (@salvoerro)
The comedy duo “Cebola Mol,” made up of Eduardo Madeira and Filipe Homem Fonseca, also announced they were canceling their previously scheduled appearance at the festival.
“We will celebrate justice, freedom and joy with you on another occasion,” they wrote, without getting into the reason behind their decision.
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Cebola Mol included an illustrated photo of themselves with a watermelon in their social media post. The watermelon bears the same colors as the Palestinian flag and has become an unofficial symbol of Palestinian solidarity on social media.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by MEO Commedia a La Carte Fest (@meocommediafest)
“Tributo Pop,” Conjunto Cuca Monga, Pedro Tochas, and visual artist Vhils (Alexandre Farto) have also withdrawn from the festival, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The reason behind the slew of cancellations wasn’t publicly disclosed.
The Lisbon International Humour Festival is slated to take place from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1. (RELATED: Jerry Seinfeld Says Palestine ‘Doesn’t Exist’ After Influencer Ambushes Him At Madison Square Garden)
Seinfeld has been a vocal supporter of Israel amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. He has shut down hecklers who shout support for Palestine during his performances, and quickly snipped back at a heckler on the street who requested that he say “Free Palestine” by telling him that Palestine “doesn’t exist.”
Seinfeld was among hundreds of celebrities and public figures who signed an open letter supporting Israel’s military actions in the region.
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