A growing number of Portuguese artists have withdrawn from a major Lisbon comedy festival headlined by US comedian Jerry Seinfeld, with opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza emerging as a central reason for the boycott.

The first Commedia a La Carte Fest is scheduled to run from October 29 through November 1, with Seinfeld closing the festival at Lisbon’s MEO Arena in what organizers describe as his first performance in Portugal. His appearance remained on the official festival program as of Monday.

But the lineup has been shrinking as Portuguese performers announce they will no longer participate, with some explicitly or implicitly linking their decisions to Palestine and Seinfeld’s longstanding public support for Israel.

Among the clearest statements came from Portuguese actress and comedian Inês Aires Pereira, who withdrew her show Namastê from the festival.

Pereira did not name Seinfeld directly, but said that “one of the names” on the program “insistently defends ideas and actions” she considers “indefensible.”

“We cannot relativise or normalise a genocide,” she wrote, explicitly expressing solidarity with Palestine.

Comedy duo Cebola Mol, made up of Eduardo Madeira and Filipe Homem Fonseca, also withdrew. Their announcement was accompanied by an image featuring a slice of watermelon, a widely recognized symbol of Palestinian identity and solidarity.

“We will celebrate justice, freedom and joy with you on another occasion,” the duo wrote.