Michael Rapaport
Associated Press
Citing safety concerns, The Comedy Vault in Batavia has canceled a series of five shows featuring comedian Michael Rapaport that were supposed to happen next weekend.
The comedy club had received a number of calls from pro-Palestinian groups promising protests if the shows, scheduled for June 6-8, were not canceled. Rapaport is Jewish and has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and its fight against Hamas.
“We’re happy he’s canceled,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, national chairman of the Chicago-based U.S. Palestinian Community Network. “We’re going to continue to do that to everyone else out there, prominent or not, who is going to cheerlead for this genocide.
“They will not be able to do business as usual,” he continued, adding the group has held protests outside federal lawmakers’ homes.
Representatives for The Comedy Vault and Rapaport have not returned calls seeking comment. As of Friday afternoon, Rapaport’s webpage still listed the five show dates in Batavia.
The Comedy Vault has canceled shows featuring comedian Michael Rapaport.
Sandy Bressner/Shaw Local News Network
Batavia Police Chief Shawn Mazza said the club owner decided to cancel the shows. He added the city did not make any recommendations. He said police were planning to provide additional patrols if needed.
“We were preparing for the shows to occur and were basically contacted within the last 48 hours letting us know that the decision was made to cancel the shows,” Mazza said Thursday.
He said the club owner did file a police report in early May after receiving a number of emails, phone calls and social media messages about the show.
Earlier this month, shows featuring Rapaport at a club in Madison, Wisconsin, also were canceled.
“The idea that clubs could be bulled, clubs could be threatened, Jewish people, people that believe in the right for Israel to exist, or anybody should be bullied, threatened, canceled, boycotted or any of this (expletive) is so against anything that I believe in, anything that this country is about,” Rapaport said in a May 2 podcast after his Wisconsin shows were canceled.