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Dave Chappelle’s stand-up performance sparked a walkout from some viewers on Thursday night after he made comments about the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the comedian expressed his views during his performance at the TD Garden Arena in Boston, during which he condemned Hamas’ October 7 attacks and also criticized Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip.
The newspaper reports that Chappelle also said that the US was guilty of complicity in the slaughter of innocent civilians and that war crimes had occurred. Chappelle continued to criticize the Israeli government for cutting off supplies to the Gaza population and blocking humanitarian aid. He concluded by saying that two wrongs don’t make a right.
Strangely, the Chron reports that Chappelle claimed through a spokesman that he was not in Boston on Thursday night, but other viewers provided reports of his statement.
The WSJ reports that while one audience member told Chappelle to shut up, others cheered and shouted “Liberate Palestine.” Some viewers walked out and later posted on social media that Chappelle’s words had made them feel unsafe. One wrote:
“The audience cheered Chappelle on during his tirade. I was sick. We were sick. I turned to my friends and my wife and said I thought it was time to go.
“We went out and met with a lot of other Jews who were leaving the show. Never in my life have I felt so unsafe and so afraid of what I was seeing.”
This is by no means the first time that Chappelle has faced controversy over his words. In 2022, his Netflix comedy special sparked complaints from the streamer’s employees over his comments about the trans community. Netflix refused to remove the show from its platform, saying it was committed to upholding free speech.