A comedy festival in Lisbon has been hit by a wave of withdrawals from Portuguese performers, with several artists pulling their shows from the event amid controversy over the participation of Jewish American comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his support for Israel, reported Euronews.

The first edition of the Lisbon International Humour Festival, Commedia a La Carte Fest, is scheduled for October 29 through November 1. Despite the growing calls for a boycott, organizers have so far kept the announced lineup unchanged.

The latest withdrawal came Saturday, when actress Inês Aires Pereira announced that her show "Namastê" would no longer be part of the festival.

The actress did not identify anyone by name, but wrote that "one of the names persistently defends ideas and acts that I consider indefensible." She added: "We cannot relativise or normalize a genocide."

The apparent reference was to Seinfeld, who is headlining the festival and has become increasingly outspoken in his support for Israel since the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Also on Saturday, comedy duo Cebola Mol, consisting of Eduardo Madeira and Filipe Homem Fonseca, announced that they were withdrawing.

"We will celebrate justice, freedom and joy with you on another occasion," they wrote on social media. An accompanying image depicted the comedians alongside a watermelon, a symbol widely associated with solidarity with the Palestinian Arab cause, particularly online.

Several other performers had already announced their departures, according to Euronews. The concert "Tributo Pop", featuring Carolina Deslandes, Tatanka and Bárbara Tinoco, and the group Conjunto Cuca Monga were the first to withdraw, followed by comedian Pedro Tochas and visual artist Vhils, whose real name is Alexandre Farto.

The artists who have withdrawn have announced that they will no longer perform or attend the festival, but have not provided explanations for their decisions.

The controversy has generated further calls for cancellations and a boycott, particularly on social media. The festival's remaining lineup includes Herman José, Clarice Falcão and Matilde Breyner, as well as the quartet César Mourão, Vasco Palmeirim, Pedro Ribeiro and Vera Fernandes. Organizers have given no public indication that Seinfeld's appearance is under reconsideration.

Seinfeld's position on Israel has attracted increasing attention since the October 7 attacks. Two months after the massacre, he traveled to Israel on a solidarity and support visit after accepting a request from hostage families to meet them and hear their stories. He later became emotional while discussing the trip in an interview with Bari Weiss.

His stance has also led to confrontations at public appearances. In May 2024, Seinfeld faced protests while receiving an honorary degree at Duke University. The following June, a performance in Sydney was interrupted by pro-Palestinian Arab hecklers chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

Seinfeld responded by mocking the protesters: “We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen. He solved the Middle East!" He added sarcastically, “It’s the Jewish comedians, that’s who we have to get! They’re the ones doing everything."

In October 2024, while attending a New York Mets game at Citi Field, Seinfeld expressed support for the IDF after a fan told him that his brother was watching from the Gaza border.

The comedian smiled and responded, "Let's go, Mets! Let's go, IDF!"

Last February, another encounter involving Seinfeld drew attention when a fan seeking a selfie made a victory sign and called “Free Palestine". Seinfeld brushed him off and walked away, saying, “I don't care about Palestine."

Several months later, at an event at Duke University in North Carolina, Seinfeld compared the Free Palestine movement to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), a white supremacist organization.

"When you say 'Free Palestine' you are not admitting what you really think. So actually, compared with the Ku Klux Klan, I think the Klan is even a little better in this respect, because they can say openly: 'We don't like black people, we don't like Jews.' OK, that's honesty."

Seinfeld is scheduled to perform at MEO Arena on November 1. Tickets range from 60 to 250 euros, with some sections already sold out.