Actor Alec Baldwin faced a hostile crowd of anti-Israel protesters in New York City on Monday, as he tried to enter a building where he was scheduled to teach an acting class.
The protesters, who were rallying against Israel’s actions in Gaza, surrounded Baldwin and demanded to know his position on the conflict. Baldwin, who starred in movies such as “The Departed” and “30 Rock”, said he supported peace for Gaza, but his answer enraged the demonstrators, who hurled insults and curses at him.
“Shut your f—ing mouth, you have no f—ing shame,” one protester yelled, while another told him to “go f— yourself”.
"That's a stupid question…"
Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin refuses to condemn Israel and squares up to pro-Palestinian protestors in New York. pic.twitter.com/82Y3viJbdV
— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) December 18, 2023
Alec Baldwin says he supports peace for Gaza
Baldwin, 65, tried to ignore the verbal abuse and reach a locked door, but the police had to intervene to protect him from the aggressive mob.
“I support peace for Gaza,” he told demonstrators.
A video posted on X (formerly Twitter) showed Baldwin in another confrontation outside the building, where a protester asked him about his stance on the Israel-Hamas war.
“Because I’m in Hollywood?” Baldwin replied, pushing the man away. “You ask stupid questions. Ask me a smart question.”
Alec Baldwin then walked away, shouting “shut the f— up” at the crowd.
The actor, who was recently cleared of involuntary manslaughter charges for shooting a cinematographer on the set of his film “Rust” in October 2021, did not intend to get involved in the protest, according to a source who spoke to HuffPost reporter Yashar Ali.
“He had no intention of going to the protest and was not involved in any way,” the source said. “He was approached aggressively and repeatedly. The police stepped in to avoid further confrontation so he could make his way to the class safely.”
Alec Baldwin is not the only celebrity who has faced backlash for their views on the Israel-Palestine issue. Singer Taylor Swift was criticized by political commentator Megyn Kelly for attending a Gaza fundraising event with Selena Gomez earlier this month. The event, hosted by comedian Ramy Youssef, donated all the proceeds to American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera), an organization that Kelly claimed was “highly political” and “biased” against Israel.
Kelly called for a boycott of Swift and demanded that she apologize to “Israelis and Jewish Americans” for supporting the event.
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