Jerry Seinfeld attacked as anti-Israeli protests accelerate in the United States

Anti-Israel protesters have attacked Jerry Seinfeld in New York, as a member of the US Air Force set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington. Warning: Graphic

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld was confronted by anti-Israel protesters who accused him of supporting genocide as he exited a Jewish-themed event in New York City, according to footage posted online.

The sitcom and stand-up comedy star was heckled after he left an event on Sunday at the 92nd Street Y in the Upper West Side of Manhattan that also featured former New York Times columnist and founder of The Free Press, Bari Weiss.

“Genocide supporter, you support genocide,” one protester yelled at Seinfeld, who gave a quick wave before getting into the back seat of a black SUV that was surrounded by NYPD officers, according to footage obtained by the New York Post.

This is disgusting. The idea that protesters are going to heckle a celebrity — in this case Jerry Seinfeld — over the war in Israel, just because he is Jewish, is antisemitic.pic.twitter.com/GnFEpEB1FM

— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) February 26, 2024

The protesters continued to shout at Seinfeld before the SUV pulled away.

“F**k you, you support genocide,” the demonstrators yelled.

The protesters rallied outside the community centre that was hosting Weiss, who was giving the 92Y’s annual State of the World Jewry address.

Protesters were critical of Weiss, a supporter of Israel, and tried to connect her to Gaza poet Refaat Alareer who was killed in December in an Israeli air strike.

Alareer had tweeted in late October that if he’s killed, “I blame Bari Weiss and her likes” in response to Weiss criticising Alareer for joking in a tweet whether or not an Israeli baby was burned alive in an oven “with or without baking soda” during the October 7 attack on Israel.

Alareer told the BBC that Palestinian resistance was “legitimate and moral.”

Two protesters were arrested at the scene, according to police

Seinfeld and Weiss aren’t the first prominent New Yorkers to be accosted by protesters.

Alec Baldwin was confronted by anti-Israel demonstrators late last year while walking on a Manhattan street.

Actor Alec Baldwin. Picture: AFP

Publisher Bari Weiss. Picture: Supplied

It comes as a member of the US Air Force has died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.

A video live streamed on Twitch and reposted on X by a citizen journalist appeared to show the airman in uniform standing in front of the embassy gate.

“I will no longer be complicit in genocide [in Gaza]. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest,” the man said before setting himself alight and repeatedly shouting “Free Palestine!”

BREAKING: According to reports, 25 year old Aaron Bushnell has passed away.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family for this tragic end to his young life.

His last words were "Free Palestine."

RIP Aaron Bushnell 🙏🏽

Source: @taliaotgpic.twitter.com/qXat08Or7l

— Dr.Sam Youssef Ph.D.,M.Sc.,DPT. (@drhossamsamy65) February 26, 2024

The man identifies himself as Aaron Bushnell at the start of the clip, according to footage circulating online.

A spokesperson for the Air Force confirmed that the protester was an active-duty airman, though would not disclose his rank.

Authorities at the scene could be heard asking “May I help you, sir?” and yelling at the man to get down on the ground while he was on fire, the footage showed.

One person sprayed the man with a fire extinguisher, while another drew his gun.

The footage was quickly removed because it violated the streaming app’s guidelines, but recordings of it — some blurred — were posted to other social media platforms.

The man was transported to a local hospital but later died of his injuries.

It’s not the first instance of the extreme method of protest against Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

In December, a protester set herself on fire outside Atlanta’s Israeli Consulate.

The self-immolations come after months of intense political tensions over Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack that killed 1200 Israelis and Israel’s subsequent ground operations in the Gaza Strip.

The death toll in Gaza has reached nearly 30,000 people, including thousands of women and children, the Hamas-backed health ministry said. More than 200 Israeli soldiers have also died during the military’s ground campaign.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel’s controversial assault on the southern city of Rafah, saying it “has to be done” for a “total victory.”

Rafah is now the most densely populated Gazan city after Palestinians in the north were forced to flee the Israeli military’s assault on the north.

Originally published as Jerry Seinfeld attacked as anti-Israeli protests accelerate in the United States