Comedian denounces Palestinian rights movement as antisemitic in unannounced appearance at Duke University
Jerry Seinfeld denounced the Free Palestine movement as antisemitic and likened its rhetoric to that of the Ku Klux Klan during a surprise appearance at Duke University.
“Free Palestine is, to me, just … you’re free to say you don’t like Jews. Just say you don’t like Jews,” the 71-year-old comedian said on stage, according to the Duke University Chronicle.
“By saying ‘Free Palestine’, you’re not admitting what you really think,” he continued. “So it’s actually – compared to the Ku Klux Klan, I’m actually thinking the Klan is actually a little better here, because they can come right out and say, ‘We don’t like Blacks, we don’t like Jews.’ OK, that’s honest.”
Seinfeld appeared at the event in North Carolina to introduce Omer Shem Tov, an Israeli man abducted at the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023, when the militant group Hamas and others killed nearly 1,200 Israelis and abducted 252 others. He was held captive for 505 days. Since 7 October, Israel has killed more than 62,000 people in what leading experts have defined as genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
