Jerry Seinfeld has landed himself in some hot water over inflammatory comments he made about the “Free Palestine” movement during a surprise appearance at a Duke University event on Tuesday (September 9) in Durham, North Carolina.
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“Free Palestine is, to me, just — you’re free to say you don’t like Jews. Just say you don’t like Jews,” Jerry said.
His comments were made as part of his introduction of former Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov, who was abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023 during the Nova track festival and held for over 500 days, reports The Chronicle.
He went on to compare the movement to the white supremacist group, the Ku Klux Klan.
The comedian continued, “By saying Free Palestine, you’re not admitting what you really think. 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.’ Okay that’s honest.”
The Duke University event in question was organized by student groups. A University spokesperson shared the following statement with The Chronicle when asked for comment.
“Tuesday’s talk was a Chabad at Duke student-led event that invited Omer Shem Tov to share the story of his spiritual journey during 505 days in captivity. Jerry Seinfeld introduced the speaker and requested his appearance not be announced beforehand, given Omer Shem Tov’s experiences were the focus of the event.”
They added, “Duke does not preview the remarks of speakers who are invited to campus, and the invitation of speakers to campus does not imply any endorsement of their remarks.”
Learn which stars recently signed a petition to boycott Israeli film institutions.
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