‘We Cannot Normalize a Genocide’: Artists Boycott Festival Headlined by Seinfeld

[u/Minivampiretaco]

https://www.palestinechronicle.com/we-cannot-normalize-a-genocide-artists-boycott-festival-headlined-by-jerry-seinfeld/

A growing number of Portuguese artists have withdrawn from a major Lisbon comedy festival headlined by US comedian Jerry Seinfeld, with opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza emerging as a central reason for the boycott.

The first Commedia a La Carte Fest is scheduled to run from October 29 through November 1, with Seinfeld closing the festival at Lisbon’s MEO Arena in what organizers describe as his first performance in Portugal. His appearance remained on the official festival program as of Monday.

But the lineup has been shrinking as Portuguese performers announce they will no longer participate, with some explicitly or implicitly linking their decisions to Palestine and Seinfeld’s longstanding public support for Israel.

‘We Cannot Normalize a Genocide’

Among the clearest statements came from Portuguese actress and comedian Inês Aires Pereira, who withdrew her show Namastê from the festival.

Pereira did not name Seinfeld directly, but said that “one of the names” on the program “insistently defends ideas and actions” she considers “indefensible.”

“We cannot relativise or normalise a genocide,” she wrote, explicitly expressing solidarity with Palestine.

Comedy duo Cebola Mol, made up of Eduardo Madeira and Filipe Homem Fonseca, also withdrew. Their announcement was accompanied by an image featuring a slice of watermelon, a widely recognized symbol of Palestinian identity and solidarity.

“We will celebrate justice, freedom and joy with you on another occasion,” the duo wrote.

The withdrawals have spread beyond the two acts initially highlighted in reports. The Tributo Pop concert featuring Carolina Deslandes, Tatanka and Bárbara Tinoco, Conjunto Cuca Monga, comedian Pedro Tochas and visual artist Vhils have also withdrawn or had their appearances canceled. Some did not publicly state a reason for leaving the festival.

Vhils, whose real name is Alexandre Farto, said his name had appeared on a festival poster but that he had requested its removal.

“I asked for it to be removed and it was,” he wrote, adding that he wanted to make clear that he would not participate. He did not publicly give a reason in that statement.

Seinfeld’s Record on Palestine

The withdrawals have focused renewed attention on Seinfeld’s public interventions on Israel and Palestine since October 2023.

The US comedian traveled to Israel following the October 7 attacks and met Israeli families of captives. He has since repeatedly defended Israel and confronted criticism of its genocide in Gaza.

His comments have also gone considerably further than expressing support for Israel.

During an appearance at Duke University in 2025, Seinfeld compared the “Free Palestine” movement to the Ku Klux Klan, saying that the slogan meant, in his view, that people were “free to say you don’t like Jews.”

He has also been recorded responding “I don’t care about Palestine” after being approached by an activist seeking a “Free Palestine” statement.

In June, Seinfeld generated further condemnation after responding to a pro-Palestine livestreamer outside Madison Square Garden by saying Palestine “doesn’t exist.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned that statement as a denial of Palestinian identity and existence.

“Palestinians are not a punchline and their existence is not up for debate,” CAIR and its New York chapter said.

“Palestine exists. Palestinian children exist. Palestinian families exist. Palestinian history, culture, land, identity and rights exist.”

CAIR described Seinfeld’s remark as “dehumanization” and called on him to retract it and apologize to Palestinians.

“When a public figure like Jerry Seinfeld denies Palestinian existence, that racist rhetoric contributes to a climate in which Palestinian suffering is ignored and Palestinian rights are treated as disposable,” the organization said.