Culture

Shia LaBeouf Released After Being Arrested for Scuffle With Hitler Supporter

These guys just won't leave him alone.

Getty Images / Rob Kim

Actor Shia LaBeouf was released early Thursday morning after being arrested at his anti-Trump art exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City. LaBeouf allegedly assaulted a man who approached him and said, “Hitler did nothing wrong.” According to TMZ, LaBeouf grabbed the man’s scarf and scratched him.

The art exhibit entitled HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US is a 24/7 webcam into which participants can shout that phrase in protest against President Donald Trump. Thursday morning’s incident comes on the heels of another one just a few days prior. Over the weekend, a lone white supremacist approached the camera and tried to derail the message, only to be shouted down and driven off by LaBeouf, who was on the scene.

The scuffle was partially captured in a short video posted by the exhibit’s Twitter account. The Hitler supporter seems to wave LaBeouf over in a friendly way before expressing support for the Nazi leader, at which point LaBeouf reacts.

In the video, it appears that LaBeouf did little more than shove the man away, but it remains unclear what, if anything, transpired before and after the video was taken. Toward the end, the Hitler supporter can be heard asking, “Why did he attack me?”

A later video shows LaBeouf being handcuffed on the scene, with supporters looking on. “If you’re gonna arrest him, arrest all of us,” says one fellow participant to the police officer.

As LaBeouf is being taken away, there’s a few people who can be heard in the background yelling. One person says, “We believe in you Shia. Free Shia!” Another person shouts, “Fuck you, you Nazis!”

More support came for LaBeouf via Twitter as #FreeShia took on brief life.

News of LaBeouf’s release was broken by the exhibit’s Twitter Thursday morning at 4:37 a.m.

So far, there have been two run-ins with agitators, and the installation was just launched last Friday. The plan is for HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US to last the duration of Trump’s presidential term.

Related Tags