LISBON (VINnews) — Several Portuguese performers have withdrawn from a new comedy festival in Lisbon after organizers announced that Jewish-American comedian Jerry Seinfeld will headline the event, in an apparent protest of his support for Israel, according to Hollywood Reporter.

The inaugural MEO Commedia a La Carte Fest, also billed as the Lisbon International Humor Festival, is scheduled for Oct. 29 through Nov. 1 and is set to mark Seinfeld’s first live performance in Portugal. Tickets for his show are listed at 60 to 220 euros ($70 to $256).

None of the artists who canceled named Seinfeld or stated that they were leaving because of his support for Israel. Several made indirect references.

Actress and comedian Inês Aires Pereira announced Saturday on Instagram that her show “Namastê” would no longer appear on the lineup.

“A festival includes many artists, and in this case, one of the names insistently defends ideas and actions that I consider indefensible,” she wrote. “We cannot relativize or normalize genocide.”

Comedy duo Cebola Mol, consisting of Eduardo Madeira and Filipe Homem Fonseca, also canceled their Oct. 31 appearance. Their social media post featured a watermelon-themed graphic, a symbol widely used by pro-Palestinian activists, and said they would “celebrate justice, freedom, and joy at a future opportunity.”

Other acts that withdrew include the groups Tributo Pop and Conjunto Cuca Monga, comedian Pedro Tochas and visual artist Vhils (Alexandre Farto). Festival organizers announced some of the cancellations without giving reasons.

Seinfeld has been one of Hollywood’s most visible supporters of Israel since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, in which terrorists murdered some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 hostages.

In December 2023, months into the war, Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica, traveled to Israel. They met freed hostages and families of those still held in Gaza and visited Kibbutz Be’eri, which lost more than 100 of its residents in the attack. Seinfeld later called the trip “the most powerful experience” of his life.

He has been heckled at shows and at a Duke University commencement address over his stance. After a disruption at an event with freed hostage Omer Shem Tov, Seinfeld said the Ku Klux Klan was “more honest” in its antisemitism than some who chant “Free Palestine.” On other occasions he has said of that slogan, “It doesn’t exist,” and “I don’t care about Palestine.”

Festival organizers have not issued a detailed public explanation of the withdrawals. Some Portuguese reports said the event was considering whether to proceed with replacements after the cancellations.