Since its inception, Shia LaBeouf's "He Will Not Divide Us" live-stream has been targeted by Nazis and white supremacists against its message of unity and equality—and on Wednesday evening, the actor was arrested after reportedly getting into an altercation with a Nazi who came to the installation in protest.
According to TMZ, after the person in question came up to the camera and said something indistinguishable but reportedly anti-Semitic, "Shia grabbed for the guy's scarf, and allegedly scratched him in the process." The NYPD quickly swooped in and arrested him shortly after—but not before Shia returned to the camera to plead with everyone to just "be nice," adding that it was the only requirement of the live-stream.
"How are we gonna make this shit okay to be a Nazi out here?" Shia said directly into the camera. "That's bullshit, bro. It's not okay. He will not divide us."
Before long, #FreeShia was trending on Twitter, with many expressing their horror that a Jewish man was arrested for defending himself against a Nazi antagonizer.
Let me get this straight. You arrested a peaceful protestor but not the neo-nazi that came to antagonize? Ok. #FREESHIA#hewillnotdivideus
Many who watched the stream also noted that the man in question was being directly antagonizing to the peaceful protestors, and that it appeared as if the altercation had been verbal. Others claim that Shia assaulted the man, but most of the altercation took place off screen, and those who were present during the incident have not offered an official statement on the matter. However, of what can be seen, Shia appears to shove the man in the chest before offering his hand for a handshake and dragging him out of view.
Meanwhile, TMZ reports that his fellow protestors said, "Shia took a hit for us. There were all these Nazis here, he came out and tried to protect us."
