Jerry Seinfeld sparks outrage after likening 'Free Palestine' to the Ku Klux Klan

American comedian Jerry Seinfeld has drawn sharp condemnation after branding the Free Palestine movement "antisemitic" and comparing it to the Ku Klux Klan during a surprise appearance at Duke University.

"'Free Palestine' is, to me, just another way of saying you don’t like Jews. Just say you don’t like Jews," the 71-year-old said, according to the Duke Chronicle.

He went further, claiming the Klan was "a little better here" because its members "come right out and say, 'We don’t like Blacks, we don’t like Jews'. OK, that's honest."

The comments, delivered at an event in Durham, North Carolina, drew fury given the ongoing devastation in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in what human rights experts describe as genocide.

The attack on Palestinians has continued for nearly two years, displacing and starving millions, flattening entire neighbourhoods, and leaving thousands still buried under rubble.

Seinfeld was on campus to introduce Omer Shem Tov, one of the Israelis captured during the attack on the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023. While Shem Tov's 505 days in captivity formed the focus of the event, Seinfeld used the stage to disparage a slogan widely adopted by global protest movements calling for Palestinian freedom and an end to Israeli occupation.

His intervention stood in stark contrast to the reality on the ground in Gaza, where Israel's military campaign has systematically targeted civilians, including children and the elderly, health workers, and journalists.

For Palestinians and their supporters, Seinfeld's words did not merely dismiss their cause but equated demands for basic rights with one of America's most notorious white supremacist groups.

The event, sponsored by Chabad at Duke and other campus bodies, was not publicised beforehand at Seinfeld’s request. A Duke spokesperson stressed that speakers’ remarks are not vetted and do not represent the university.

This is not the first time Seinfeld has provoked backlash over his support for Israel. In May, about 100 Duke students walked out of his commencement address, chanting "Free Palestine" and waving flags. He continued speaking, telling the crowd: "A lot of you are thinking, ‘I can’t believe they invited this guy.’ Too late."

The comedian has also been challenged abroad. At a June show in Sydney, an audience member shouted that he was a "genocide supporter", to which Seinfeld replied sarcastically: "We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen. He’s solved the Middle East. It’s the Jewish comedians, that’s who we have to get."

In a widely criticised move in 2018, Seinfeld visited an Israeli-run "anti-terror fantasy camp" in the occupied West Bank with his family. Located in an illegal settlement, the attraction simulates combat scenarios against Palestinians. The visit drew sharp criticism from Palestinian rights advocates who see the camp as glorifying the militarised occupation and violence against Palestinians.