NYPD cops escort Alec Baldwin to safety after heated confrontation with pro-Palestinian demonstrators 

NYPD officers escorted actor Alec Baldwin away from angry demonstrators in Manhattan Monday evening, eventually forming a human shield around him in a doorway as shouting protesters followed.

In two videos shot from different angles, posted by Fox News and NBC News, three-time Emmy Award winner Baldwin, 65, stands amid a large demonstration organized by Within Our Lifetime. The group, which describes itself as “a Palestinian-led community organization that has been building the movement for Palestine in NYC since 2015,” had staged demonstrations Monday at transit hubs to protest Israel’s retaliation for the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks that killed roughly 1,200 Israeli civilians and took about 240 hostage.

In the videos, shot near the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 29th Street in Manhattan, a young male demonstrator angrily demands of Baldwin, “You work in Hollywood. Do you condemn Israel for the actions …?”

The actor replies, “You’ve already got your mind made up.” Following inaudible dialogue and crosstalk, Baldwin is heard saying, “ … by the question you've got, right? I'm in Hollywood’s pockets, you said?”

The demonstrator twice yells at Baldwin, “Is that your answer?” The actor replies, “You ask stupid questions. … Ask me a smart question and I’ll answer your question,” and leans in closely toward the demonstrator.

Baldwin is then led away by officers from the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau. As he is being escorted, with a throng of demonstrators following, Baldwin says, “I support peace in Gaza,” according to accounts by the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph and others.

A video posted by freelance journalist Katie Smith shows the trailing protesters shouting highly personal insults about Baldwin's wife and family, and about the accidental fatal shooting on the set of his movie "Rust" in 2021. As the yelling becomes more heated and profane, three NYPD officers form a shield around Baldwin in the doorway of 212 W. 29th St.

An NYPD spokesperson said in a statement to Newsday that “at approximately 1745 hours, uniformed NYPD officers were facilitating a safe travel route for a scheduled demonstration … within the confines of the Midtown South Precinct. A male passerby became engaged in a verbal dispute with several demonstrators at which point NYPD Community Affairs officers separated the male from the group to prevent further escalation. No arrests were made and no injuries were reported."

Freelance journalist Yashar Ali reported that the Amityville-born and Massapequa-raised Baldwin was on his way to volunteer-teach an acting class, as a favor for a friend, when he became caught up in the protest.

Representatives for Baldwin and for Within Our Lifetime did not respond to Newsday requests for comment.