‘Friends’ actor slams Canadian lawmaker for trying to ban him from doing stand-up in the country

nypost.com:

Comedian and outspoken pro-Israel activist Michael Rapaport trashed a liberal Canadian politician for demanding her fellow lawmakers bar him from doing stand-up shows in the country.In a Monday column for “The Free Press,” the actor and comedian called out Canadian Parliament member Heather McPherson after she urged fellow lawmakers to bar him from the country ahead of his show dates in Alberta, Canada this week.He declared that he would be there and even invited her to sit in the front row.“If you’re reading this, Heather, I have front-row seats reserved for you and the New Democrats.

That’s a genuine offer,” Rapaport wrote on Monday.McPherson, a member of Canada’s New Democrat Party, posted her “Statement calling on Canadian government to deny entry to Michael Rapaport” to X on Feb.

27. The statement consisted of an extended X thread in which she brought up the comedian’s “significant criminal history,” history of “Islamophobic speech” and history of “inciting violence” as justification for keeping him out of the country.“We are witnessing an alarming increase in Islamophobia in Canada and globally,” she wrote. “All Canadians deserve to feel safe in our communities.

New Democrats are calling on the Liberal government to deny entry to Michael Rapaport.”After declaring “Hate has no place in Canada,” McPherson tagged several other members of the Canadian Parliament in the post, seeking to make them aware of Rapaport’s upcoming visit to their country.In his column, the comedian and Jewish advocate called the Canadian lawmaker’s push to ban him from the country the “craziest campaign against me yet,” claiming that it is more ridiculous than various anti-Israel groups protesting his shows over his outspoken defense of Israel.