#hewillnotdivideus

Shia LaBeouf is arrested after confronting a white supremacist on livestream
By Alex James Taylor | Current affairs | 26 January 2017

Shia LaBeouf has reportedly been arrested at the site of his livestream artwork, He Will Not Divide Us, protesting against Donald Trump outside New York City’s Museum of the Moving Image.

The performance, produced by Shia LaBeouf, Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner, acts as a reminder of the power of unity and defiance. The work consists of a livestream camera mounted on the museum’s wall, where the public are invited to stand and repeat the words, “he will not divide us” in a message of solidarity against the controversial new president. A message on the project’s website says, “Open to all, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the participatory performance will be live-streamed continuously for four years, or the duration of the presidency.”

Early this morning, LaBeouf was arrested after he allegedly tussled with a man following a disagreement captured on the live stream. An unofficial Twitter account for the project reported, “Shia LaBeouf just got arrested on livestream after an allegedly attacking Neo-Nazis.” In a video posted on the page, a man is seen to approach LaBeouf and say, “Hitler did nothing wrong,” leading to the artist and actor pushing him away.

LaBeouf has since been released and has returned to the scene of his project, but must attend a court hearing on 7th April.

This incident follows an altercation three days into the project between LaBeouf and a white supremacist wearing a Nazi SS M43 Cap and reciting Nazi slogans, including “1488” and “we must secure the existence of the white race.” LaBeouf confronted the racist by chanting “he will not divide us” in the man’s face, increasingly louder until he scurried away.

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