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Supporters of a grassroots movement committed to Jewish liberation plan to hold a protest outside of NBC studios on Saturday in response to a recent "anti-Semitic" joke made by "Saturday Night Live" star Michael Che, Fox News has learned.
The protest is being co-sponsored by End Jew Hatred, former Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind, Liberate Art and Yad Yamin New York.
Individuals planning to protest at the New York City studios slammed Che's joke on last Saturday's "SNL" episode in which the comedian said: "Israel is reporting that they’ve vaccinated half of their population. I’m going to guess it’s the Jewish half."
"Michael Che is a bigot - plain and simple. Not only was his ‘joke’ the laziest form of comedy, it perpetuated a vile lie that stands to exacerbate already rising antisemitism in the United States. NBC must make it clear that Jew Hatred has no place on its network and hold Che and the SNL writers responsible for spreading hate," Brooke Goldstein, executive director of The Laware Project and an End Jew Hatred partner, said in a statement to Fox News.
NBC SLAMMED FOR NOT ADDRESSING ANTI-SEMITIC ‘SNL’ JOKE: 'WHATEVER THE REASONS, BAD SHOW, NBC!'
Michael Che faced backlash this week for making a joke on "SNL" that critics called "antisemitic." (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Che has been facing backlash throughout the week for the joke, which many critics called "anti-Semitic."
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) told Fox News in a statement Monday evening that while the segment is "known for sharp criticism and public takedowns," Che's joke "not only missed the mark, but crossed the line -- basing the premise of the joke on factual inaccuracies and playing into an antisemitic trope in the process."
The group went even further to say it has been monitoring "Weekend Update" this season and said the segment has "inappropriately use[d] Jews as the punchline" multiple times.
The statement drew attention on social media, causing an uproar with viewers and sparked a petition from the American Jewish Committee (AJC) for NBC "to retract its outrageous claim and apologize immediately."
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NBC continues to face criticism for a series of incidents that have been labeled "anti-Semitic." (iStock)
The organization called the joke "categorically false" and a "dangerous, modern twist on a classic antisemitic trope that has inspired the mass murder of countless Jews throughout the centuries."
The petition continued: "Words have consequences, and Jews are at risk when a major American TV company joins with those who claim Israel is favoring only a portion of its citizens in its admirable efforts, praised by Dr. Anthony Fauci and others, to vaccinate all of its residents."
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NBC told Fox News it has "no comment." Reps for Che did not immediately return Fox News' request for comments on Saturday.
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