During a stand-up show in Virginia, comedian Jerry Seinfeld was heckled by pro-Palestine supporters on May 18 at the Chrysler Hall in Norfolk. According to footage obtained by TMZ, an audience member stood up, shouted “Save the children of Gaza”, and accused Seinfeld of being a “genocide supporter”. The protestor was then booed by the audience before being confronted by another attendee and put in a headlock. Eight demonstrators in total interrupted the show but all were escorted out.
The audience then chanted “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!!” as the man was escorted out of the building, and Seinfeld told the crowd not to boo the man as he had a right to protest. This was not the first time Seinfeld had been interrupted by pro-Palestine protestors recently, with the comedian’s commencement speech at Duke University in North Carolina sparking walkouts from those with Palestine flags.
The incidents come amid widespread protests across US university campuses in support of Gaza, with many protestors facing aggression from authorities. They come after violent scenes at Columbia University, with pressure on the institution to divest from Israel. These protests have also spread to UK universities, with calls to sever ties with companies that supply arms to Israel and withdraw links to Israeli universities.
Over 100 acts have withdrawn from the UK’s Great Escape festival in support of Palestine due to its sponsorship by Barclays, which is surrounded by controversy due to its financial investment in companies which supply arms to Israel. The boycott has been supported by the likes of Massive Attack and Brian Eno. The Great Escape has yet to comment on the boycott, while Barclays has directed criticisms to a response in a recent Q&A session
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