- The Washington Times - Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Social media ambush interviewer Crackhead Barney heckled actor Alec Baldwin at a New York City coffee shop about Israel’s war in Gaza and the “Rust” movie set shooting.

The agitator, who describes herself and her performance art as anti-fascist, asked Mr. Baldwin to denounce Israel and take a pro-Palestinian stance.

“Free Palestine, Alec, just one time and I’ll leave you alone. I’ll leave you alone, I swear; just say free Palestine one time,” she said in the confrontation, as depicted in a video she uploaded to X Monday.

Crackhead Barney also got personal, bringing up the “Rust” movie set shooting of 2021.

Mr. Baldwin is accused of pulling the trigger on a gun that, contrary to regulations on set, contained live ammunition. The shot from the gun killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Mr. Baldwin contends that the hammer of the gun went off without him pulling the trigger.

Although initial criminal charges against Mr. Baldwin were dropped in April 2023, new evidence has him due back in court this summer on the charge of involuntary manslaughter.

The armorer on the set of “Rust” who loaded the gun, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on the same charge this month.

“Why did you kill that lady? You killed that lady and got no jail time,” Crackhead Barney said at the coffee shop.

As Mr. Baldwin remained silent, Crackhead Barney refused to relent. The actor then smacked the phone from her hand.

“White devil Alec Baldwin attacked me,” Crackhead Barney captioned the video on X.

In a statement to Newsweek, Crackhead Barney laid out the political impetus for her trolling of Mr. Baldwin.

“My performance art and confrontational media is a statement about the double standards of society in the U.S. As the U.S. supports Israel in the genocide of Palestinians, here at home powerful people maintain a facade of politeness and dignity while we export death and terror around the world,” she said.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.