Dave Chappelle says ‘it’s easier to say’ in Saudi Arabia than in the USA

Dave Chappelle Ironically used a Saudi comedy event to talk about freedom of expression. According to The New York Times, Chappelle – who has already been criticized for his transphobic jokes in the past – used his comedy presentation at the Riyadh Comedy Festival to talk about the lack of freedom of expression in the United States, especially after the murder of Charlie Kirk.

“Now in the United States, they say that if you talk about Charlie KirkYou will be canceled, ”said the comedian.” I don’t know if this is true, but I’ll find out. “

Later, he said to the audience, according to the The Times“It’s easier to talk about what it is in America.”

The vehicle reported that Chappelle spoke about the US attack on Jimmy Kimmel After your comments on Kirk in your program, and that Chappelle He expressed his gratitude for being able to make any joke in Saudi Arabia. However, this occurs after a repression of the freedom of expression of the Saudis themselves, some of which were arrested for their comments about their own government. (Last year, a retired teacher was sentenced to death for his criticism of the Saudi government, according to the Amnesty international.)

The Riyadh Comedy Festival has been criticized recently, with many comedians being criticized for participating in the event. Bill Burr He performed on the opening night of the show on Friday and then defended his appearance in his podcast, suggesting that cultural exchange could bring some benefit.

“I had to stop a few times during the show and say, ‘I will be honest with you, I can’t believe any of you have some idea of ​​who I am,’ he said Burr. “It was simply a great energy exchange. They know their reputation. So they were super friendly.” He added, “The members of royalty loved the show. They were all happy. The people who were organizing the festival were delighted.”

He continued: “It was a hallucinating experience. Definitely among the three best experiences I have ever had. It was great to know that part of the world and be part of the first Saudi Arabia comedy festival. I think this will lead to many positive things.”

Burr and Chappelle were among the robust cast of festival artists and were accompanied by names like Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Louis ck, Pete Davidson, Jo Koy and Jimmy Carr.

Atsuko okatsuka He said he declined an offer to perform at the festival. “The money comes directly from the heir prince, who actively performs journalists, people with non -lethal -related crimes, bloggers, etc. without due process of law,” she wrote in a post. “Many of the ‘comedians of the’ you can’t say anything else! ‘ They are participating in the festival… They had to join censorship rules about the types of jokes they can do. ”

A few days after posting Okatsuka, David Cross He published a statement denouncing some of his “heroes” for participating in the festival. Cross He criticized “Dave and Louie and Bill, and Jim,” adding, “Clearly you don’t give a shit to what the rest of us think, but how can we take you seriously again? All your complaints about ‘Cancellation Culture’ and ‘Freedom of Expression’ and all this? You can no longer talk about it.

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