A Hollywood producer was booed and escorted off the stage at the Israel Film Festival after making anti-Trump remarks — even though he was there to receive an award.
Jason Blum, who has produced such blockbusters as “Whiplash” and “Get Out,” was booed during his acceptance speech at the festival, held in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
“A lot is on the line, the last two years have been hard for all of us who cherish the freedom as citizens of this country,” Blum said, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
“The great thing about this country is that you can like [Donald] Trump, but I don’t have to, and I can say what I feel about it — and I don’t like it!,” he responded as a few people started walking out of the Steve Tisch Cinema Center inside the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills.
Blum went on as the booing got louder and more aggressive, with shouting and whistling disrupting him.
“As you can see from this auditorium, it’s the end of civil discourse,” he continued. “We have a president who calls the press the enemy of the people. Thanks to our president, anti-Semitism is on the rise.”
As Blum continued his anti-Trump rant, a man approached the stage and “aggressively attempted to pull Blum down. The person was identified as Yossi Dina, an Israeli pawnbroker who starred on a reality TV show called Beverly Hills Pawn. More people rushed to interfere and Blum was asked to leave the stage as dozens left the auditorium in protest.”
“Enjoy the movie, and I love and respect all of you,” Blum said. “Now I’m being physically removed, which is why Trump is not the right guy.”
The festival’s founder and director Meir Fenigstein told The Hollywood Reporter that “this is the first time we have ever experienced anything like this and I am in total shock, but I understand that this is a very tense day in America with the elections.”
He added: “This is not the place for politics, and I remain apolitical.”
But he also said: “We in no way condone violence but do wholeheartedly support dialogue that allows people to share ideas and viewpoints in a respectful way. Sadly, some audience members at last night’s opening greatly lacked that respect and turned an evening of celebration and recognition into something else.”
“He also reiterated that no one affiliated with the festival tried to remove Blum from the stage. Rather, security ushered him off the stage to protect him from further harassment,” Vanity Fair reported.