Shia LaBeouf Assault Charges Dropped From ‘He Will Not Divide Us’ Trump Protest


Shia LaBeouf has become something of a liberal hero after launching his “He Will Not Divide Us” anti-Trump protest campaign to coincide with the inauguration of Donald Trump. It didn’t take long for Shia to find himself in legal trouble stemming from the 24/7 protest that was planned to continue for all four years of Trump’s presidency. LaBeouf ended up face-to-face with a Nazi sympathizer and it’s safe to say that things escalated quickly, eventually ending with the Transformers actor under arrest and facing misdemeanor assault and harassment charges connected to the incident.

Kevin Ryan, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office in Queens, confirmed that the charges against Shia LaBeouf have been dropped, reported USA Today. Ryan cites lack of evidence in the skirmish between LaBeouf and a 25-year-old man he confronted outside of the Museum of the Moving Image on January 25.

“Shortly after the incident, Mr. LaBeouf was given a desk appearance ticket by the police, which stated that he was to appear for arraignment next week in Queens Criminal Court,” Ryan said a statement. “However, the Queens District Attorney’s Office recently reviewed the facts of the case and declined to prosecute as the evidence available was not sufficient to support the criminal charges. Therefore, the charges were dismissed and the case has been sealed.”

According to reports, after Shia LaBeouf confronted the man outside of the museum where he had set up the anti-Trump “He Will Not Divide Us” protest, he was accused of yanking a scarf off the man and scratching his face. LaBeouf was only held in police custody for a few hours before being released and his alleged victim never sought medical treatment.

Shia LaBeouf began the “He Will Not Divide Us” anti-Trump protest on the same day that the current president was inaugurated. Along with his partners, Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner, Shia installed a camera outside of the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York. Anti-Trump protestors were encouraged to declare “He will not divide us!” into the camera mounted on the wall outside of the museum.

The “He Will Not Divide Us” anti-Trump protest was intended to continue at the New York City location for four years, or as long as Donald Trump remains president. On February 10, less than a month into the digital protest, the museum shut down the controversial protest camera because the digital art protest had become too much of a liability with Trump protestors clashing with Trump supporters at the streaming visual display.

Initially, LaBeouf moved the “He Will Not Divide Us” protest camera to the wall of a theater in New Mexico. It only stayed there until February 23 before Shia shut that down too. He claimed that gunshots had been heard in the area and figured it probably wasn’t safe to protest Donald Trump there either.

The first two location failures haven’t stopped the “He Will Not Divide Us” digital art protest and now it can be called a traveling display as it sits in its third location since inauguration day. Those who wish to participate in Shia LaBeouf’s anti-Trump protest will have to travel, though, in order to take part. The display now sits outside of the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology in Liverpool, England. When asked why the display has been moved overseas, Shia LaBeouf’s response was that “events have shown that America is simply not safe enough for this artwork to exist.”

So far, the “He Will Not Divide Us” display seems to be doing well in England. In the short time that the controversial anti-Trump protest camera has been set up in Liverpool, there have been no reports of foul play unless you’re counting the pranksters from 4chan who keep stealing the flag. While Shia LaBeouf and his partners have been active in the protest, they are not always on hand to see you shout in the camera. That being said, those who oppose Donald Trump’s presidency are more than welcome to travel to England and shout their disapproval into the eye of the camera.

[Featured Image by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images]

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