- Dave Chappelle, 50, expressed his views on the conflict in the Middle East during his concert at TD Garden on Thursday.
- He criticized Israel’s response to the Hamas attack, which included dropping more than 6,000 bombs on Gaza in less than a week.
- Chappelle also accused the United States of helping to slaughter innocent civilians during his show, and said war crimes are occurring in Gaza.
Dave Chappelle sparked a walkout during one of his shows in Boston after he condemned the October 7 Hamas attacks and criticized Israel’s ongoing bombing of Gaza.
The 50-year-old comedian expressed his views on the conflict in the Middle East during his performance at TD Garden on Thursday, according to the British Daily Mail. The Wall Street Journal.
He criticized Israel’s response to the Hamas attack, which saw more than 6,000 bombs dropped on Gaza in less than a week, and accused Israel of killing innocent people.
Chappelle also said the United States was guilty of aiding the slaughter of innocent civilians during his show, and said war crimes were occurring in Gaza.
The comments emerged after he said he did not believe pro-Palestine students who were protesting for a ceasefire should lose their job offers.
Chappelle allegedly denied being in Boston on Thursday. Dailymail.com has contacted him for comment.
Chappelle condemned the October 7 Hamas attacks, in which 1,400 Israelis were killed and 200 more were taken hostage, before criticizing Israel’s military response, attendees said.
An audience member asked the comedian to shut up, and Chappelle criticized the Israeli government for cutting off water, along with fuel and electricity that runs water and sewage plants.
It also prevented humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza from Israel.
There were cheers from some in the audience who chanted, “Free Palestine,” while others responded with, “What about Hamas?”
Chappelle’s comments led to some people in the audience getting up and leaving his show.
Near the end of his performance, he said that two wrongs don’t make a right regarding the Hamas attacks and Israel’s response.
An audience member, who walked out of the show, took to social media to criticize Chappelle for his comments.
“The crowd was cheering for Chappelle during his speech. I was sick. We were sick. I turned to my friends and my wife and said, ‘I think it’s time to go.'”
“We came out and met many other Jews who had left the show. I had never in my life felt so unsafe and so afraid of what I was witnessing.
A spokesman for the comedian said he “denies being in Boston last night.”
The bags provided to members of the public at the event bear his name.
The Israeli military response to Hamas attacks led to the deaths of more than 4,300 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
According to the service, more than half of those killed in air strikes were women and children.
The recent war between Israel and Hamas was the bloodiest to date.
The United Nations said that 1.4 million people were displaced by the war, with more than half a million people in 147 shelters.
Israel asked all residents in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate their homes and move south, but air strikes continued to hit southern Gaza.
Some Palestinians have refused to leave their homes because they believe there is no safe place.
Israel cut off supplies to Gaza after Hamas attacks, which saw its military wing breach the border into Israel.
Her government said aid to the country would be blocked until the hostages were returned before a deal was agreed to reopen its northern border and allow much-needed humanitarian aid into the war-torn enclave.
The first aid trucks entered Gaza on Saturday and the Israeli army said the aid was intended for southern Gaza only.
UN officials described the situation in Gaza as a humanitarian catastrophe and called for an immediate ceasefire.
The conflict has sparked massive protests around the world in solidarity with the plight of Palestinian civilians as well as those who stand with Israel in the wake of Hamas attacks.
Demonstrations took place in cities including London, Paris, New York, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.