Alec Baldwin was caught on camera smacking the phone of an anti-Israel protester who repeatedly asked him to say "Free Palestine" inside a coffee shop in New York City, according to footage shared online Monday night. The protester approached Baldwin while he was on the phone and at the cash register inside the shop, and began harassing him, the video shows.
The protester identified themselves as being from an anti-fascist interview show called "Crackhead Barney & Friends" and the filmer persistently asked Baldwin to say "Free Palestine." An annoyed Baldwin requested a coffee shop employee to call the police and told the protester that he would not say "Free Palestine."
Losing His Cool
"Alec, can you please say 'Free Palestine' one time," said the protester. She persisted in confronting Baldwin, 66, until he walked toward the door inside Maman on University Place and gestured for her to leave, as shown in the video.
"Free Palestine, Alec, just one time, and I'll leave you alone," she kept saying. "I'll leave you alone, I swear."
"Just say 'Free Palestine' one time, one time," she pressed as he shook his head no and held the door open.
"F–k Israel, f–Zionism," she continued.
The podcast host, known for ambushing interviews, also raised Baldwin's ongoing criminal case in New Mexico, where he faces a charge in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust."
"Why did you kill that lady, you killed that lady and got no jail time," the protester claimed while calling him a "criminal."
No Messing With Baldwin
The "30 Rock" star has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, with a trial set for July. The incident occurred during a rehearsal when Baldwin was pointing a gun at Hutchins, resulting in the firearm discharging.
Hutchins was struck by a bullet and later died from her injuries. Movie weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter earlier this year and received a sentence of 18 months in prison.
At one point during the coffee shop encounter, a worker tried to intervene and stop the aggressor, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Baldwin also seemed to ask the employee to intervene during the verbal altercation.
The video cuts out after Baldwin smacks the protester's phone after seemingly asking the worker, "Can you do me a quick favor?"
The exact timing of the confrontation is unclear.
Anti-Israel activists have previously confronted Baldwin on at least one occasion. Last December, a group of protesters heckled the actor, asking if he condemned Israel. Baldwin responded, "No, I support peace for Gaza," which seemed to leave them unhappy.
"Go f–k yourself," a man yelled.
The city has been rocked by anti-Israel demonstrations for the past six months after 1,200 Israelis were killed by Hamas terrorists in October and another 240 were abducted and taken back to Gaza.
The Jewish state then began a military operation in the region.
