A performance by the comedian Jerry Seinfeld drew a small protest Friday outside the Hult Center in Eugene.
As attendees filed into the sold-out show, more than three dozen pro-Palestinian activists gathered near the entrances—singing songs, handing out fliers, and holding signs.
The protesters were there to criticize Seinfeld over his support of Israel.
In a video clip earlier this year, a social media influencer asked Seinfeld to say “Free Palestine,” and Seinfeld said he didn’t care about Palestine.
Protestor Steve Dear said he was shocked and disappointed by the video, and what he calls the comedian’s callousness.
“I encourage people who are coming to see this very talented comedian to inform themselves about what he is saying and doing," said Dear, "and—more importantly—to center the children and people of Gaza. That's what this is about. It's not about him. It's about them."
Dear said he was also there to tell the Hult Center, which is owned by the City of Eugene, that it shouldn’t be hosting performers with these views.
"I've seen Seinfeld several times live. I have seen all of the episodes of his show probably four or five times each," said Dear. "I'm not going in. There's a line that he has crossed long ago."
Benjamin Klipfel, a spokesperson with Eugene's Library, Recreation & Cultural Services, said this was a rental event, and the city doesn't make rental decisions based on artist's personal views.
"As a public venue, our role is not to censor artists, but to ensure both the performance and the community’s right to respond can coexist safely," wrote Kilpfel in an email to KLCC. "Eugene especially has a long and treasured history of civic engagement and peaceful protest, and public dialogue is part of our community’s character."
Seinfeld previously responded to pro-Palestinian protestors on the Free Press' Honestly podcast last year, saying young activists were "a little off-target," as he said comedians don't control anything.
At the Hult Center Friday, he performed his stand-up act without interruption.
