Border Patrol agents across the country are joining with other law enforcement officers in boycotting films made by Quentin Tarantino after he called police “murderers.” Tarantino participated in an anti-police rally in New York City just days after the New York Police Officer Randolph Holder was shot in the head while chasing an armed suspect.
Tarantino may have fired up the crowd of 300 protesters during the RiseUpOctober march, as reported by Breitbart News’ Daniel Nussbaum, but now he has also fired up law enforcement officers across the nation to boycott his films. Tarantino told the crowd (speaking of police officers), “When I see murders, I do not stand by… I have to call a murder a murder, and I have to call the murderers the murderers.”
National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) Vice President Shawn Moran announced the call for the 16,500 men and women he represents to boycott the Tarantino movies during an appearance on Breitbart News Sunday, SiriusXM 125. His call for action follows the demands of the nation’s five largest police unions. He said the agents are joining with thousands of other law enforcement officers to boycott Tarantino. The Border Patrol is one of the largest police organizations in the United States, Moran pointed out.
NBPC President Brandon Judd called Tarantino’s actions “a disgusting and dangerous insult” to all law enforcement officers in a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. “We stand strongly in support of our brothers and sisters in uniform who have called for a boycott of Tarantino movies. His hateful words, spoken just four days after a NYPD officer was gunned down in East Harlem, will only embolden those who would do harm to police officers. Aren’t we a big enough target already?”
Tarantino has a new film, “The Hateful Eight,” scheduled for release on Christmas Day. The film depicts post-Civil War bounty hunters in Wyoming. This will be the first opportunity for the law enforcement boycott to have measurable impact.
Border Patrol Agent Hector Garza, speaking to Breitbart Texas as president of the NBPC Local 2455, added, “The type of rhetoric espoused by Tarantino might be okay in the movies, but it is certainly not okay in real life.”
“Our agents go out there every day and night to protect this country,” Garza continued. “We need the support from the community, not people trashing us for our work. This is dangerous work we do and Tarantino’s comments just make it a bit more dangerous.”
The Las Angeles Police Protective League also issued a statement and wrote, “Tarantino took irresponsibility to a new and completely unacceptable level,” according to the NBPC statement.
Paul Lynch, president of the New York City Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association said he was not surprised that “someone who makes a living glorifying crime and violence is a cop-hater too.”
“The police officers that Quentin Tarantino calls ‘murderers’ aren’t living in one of his depraved big screen fantasies,” Lynch continued in his statement reported by Breitbart, “they’re risking and sometimes sacrificing their lives to protect communities from real crime and mayhem. New Yorkers need to send a message to this purveyor of degeneracy that he has no business coming to our city to peddle his slanderous ‘Cop Fiction.’ It’s time for a boycott of Quentin Tarantino’s films.
Tarantino responded that the timing of his statement was unfortunate. “It’s like this: it’s unfortunate timing, but we’ve flown in all these families to go and tell their stories,” he told the New York Post. “That cop that was killed, that’s a tragedy, too.”
The “unfortunate timing” of Tarantino’s remarks did not go unnoticed by “The Hateful Eight” producer Harvey Weinstein who joined with much of the rest of the world in expressing anger towards the director, Breitbart’s John Nolte reported on Saturday. Weinstein has invested close to $80 million in the film that is now under threat of boycott. Weinstein is said to be considering having special screenings of the movie for police officers and their families. With a couple of other movie duds this year, Weinstein is not likely to be in the mood for another financial setback because of Tarantino’s commentary.
New Jersey Governor, and Republican presidential candidate, Chris Christi also blasted Tarantino for his anti-police rhetoric, Breitbart’s Charlie Spiering reported on Monday. “If he’s going to apologize it’s too late. It’s just too late because he has a history of this stuff,” Christie said on Fox and Friends Monday morning. “So the fact is we should be standing behind the people who protect us every day.”
Christi also denounced the “Black Lives Matter” movement on Saturday for their anti-police rhetoric that often calls for the killing of cops, Breitbart Texas’ Lana Shadwick reported on Sunday. Christie explained, “I don’t believe that that movement should be justified when they’re calling for the murder of police officers, no.”
The rhetoric of people like Tarantino and the “Black Lives Matter” movement coincide with an increase in the direct murder of police officers around the nation. This year, 104 police officers have died in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page website. 38 of those death occurred in some type of violent assault against officers, including the recent shooting death of Albuquerque Police Officer Scott Webster.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.