Actor Alec Baldwin got involved in a heated exchange after he was berated by pro-Palestine protesters in Manhattan on Monday evening. Witnesses reported that Baldwin angrily confronted a protestor, telling them to "shut the f*** up" and getting in their face. Police intervened, leading Baldwin away from the scene.
Baldwin, 56, was seen engaging in a heated exchange with protesters near West 29th Street on Monday night, with some criticizing him, stating he has "no f—king shame" and mocking his career. Video footage posted on social media captured a moment where a protestor confronted Baldwin, shoving a phone in his face and demanding to know his stance on Israel.
Balwin Loses His Cool
The incident occurred during a larger protest in New York City opposing Israel's military campaign in Gaza against Hamas on Monday. Alec Baldwin was walking near the demonstration around West 29th Street when protesters noticed him and approached, accusing him of supporting Israel.
One of the protesters was seen confronting Baldwin and demanding to know if he supported Israel.
NYPD officers had to escort the actor, and despite Baldwin shouting back at the protesters, he quickly faced their anger. "Shut your f—kig mouth, you have no f—king shame," one man shouted back at Baldwin.
When asked if he condemned Israel, Baldwin responded, "No, I support peace for Gaza."
"Go f— yourself," the man yelled.
"Because I'm in Hollywood?" Baldwin responded. "You ask stupid questions. Ask me a smart question."
The confrontation concluded when Baldwin was able to enter through the door he had been waiting in front of.
"Your career's tanking by the way," the man yelled as Baldwin shut the door.
According to a source close to Alec Baldwin, the Emmy Award-winner was "aggressively" approached while trying to volunteer his skills.
"Alec was on his way to volunteer to teach an acting class. 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."
The exchange occurred shortly after demonstrators gained access to Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station.
Unnecessary Harassment
Initially, police tried to impede the demonstrators from entering by erecting barricades around the entrances of the expansive train station. Even genuine commuters were denied access at some entrances.
As protesters gathered outside Moynihan, an organizer encouraged them to "find a way in" and exclaimed, "We need to outrun these piggies."
Subsequently, a large group of demonstrators rushed into the train hall, chanting "cease-fire now" as they ran through the space.
Inconvenienced travelers stood alongside their suitcases as they awaited incoming trains.
Donna Pritchard, from Utica, expressed some concern about not being able to hear announcements about arriving trains, but overall, she mentioned that the protest did not bother her.
"As long as it's peaceful I'm good. I have a 4-hour delay on my train anyways so I have nothing better to do. As long as it's peaceful I'm good." Pritchard, 63, said.
After waving Palestinian flags and staging a demonstration in the middle of the hall, protesters exited and returned to the street, where at least one male was arrested at the corner of West 29th Street and 7th Avenue. The circumstances leading to the arrest were not immediately clear.
Prior to entering Penn Station, Nerdeen Kiswani, an organizer for the Within Our Lifetime protest, urged participants to express their support for Palestine on the city's subway system.
"On the subway cars, we can make noise, we can be loud — you never know who you'll educate that day," she said.
"Any opportunity we get, whether it's underground, above ground, at a protest, in the train, wherever we are we will make it known there's a genocide being carried out with US-made weapons being paid for with our tax dollars."
Earlier in the day, protesters entered the main hall at Grand Central Station, chanting in support of Palestinians, as reported by NBC 4. Both the Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Railroad issued warnings about potential access restrictions in and out of Grand Central due to the demonstrations.
The city's emergency notification system also alerted people to anticipate traffic delays in the vicinity of Grand Central and advised them to consider alternative routes.
