WATCH: Shia LaBeouf Shouts Down White Supremacist Sloganeer
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Sam Kestenbaum January 23, 2017
Image by Twitter
Actor and performance artist Shia LaBeouf shouted down a man espousing white supremacist doctrine in an altercation that was live streamed as part of a protest art piece against President Donald Trump over the weekend.
An unnamed man wearing a grey hat and a black backpack interrupted a group chant led by LaBeouf to face the camera and say, “Fourteen eighty-eight,” a well-known white supremacist slogan.
A clip of the encounter was posted online on Sunday night.
White supremacist yells into the camera and Shia LaBeouf shuts him down. This has been a very interesting live stream. #HeWillNotDivideUs pic.twitter.com/CqY9pLobWi
— #HeWillNotDivideUs (@HWNDUS) January 23, 2017
The man went on to recite the first part of that slogan, which states: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.”
LaBeouf was born to a Jewish mother and a Christian father and recently converted to Christianity, with some help from Brad Pitt.
But LaBeouf interrupted the white nationalist slogan mid-sentence, shouting “He will not divide us,” until the unnamed man stepped out of the frame of the camera.
LaBeouf’s live-stream art project, titled “He will not divide us,” is housed at a New York City museum where Americans concerned by Donald Trump’s presidency can film themselves speaking out in protest.
The live stream began on inauguration day and invites members of the public to recite the mantra “He will not divide us,” into a webcam — which is on day and night — for the next four years.
Email Sam Kestenbaum at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
That’s why I’m paying it Forward, by matching $36,000 of reader gifts. It’s an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, to continue telling the American Jewish story with truth and independence.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
