Anti-Israel activist accosts Tarantino, calls him ‘Zionist sh*t’
Social media pest ‘Crackhead Barney’ confronts award-winning filmmaker at New York restaurant, crowd outside harasses him as he leaves
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
An anti-Israel activist recently targeted award-winning movie director Quentin Tarantino as he sat in a restaurant in New York, calling him a “Zionist piece of shit.”
The social media figure, known as “Crackhead Barney,” accosted Tarantino at the eatery Che Li, then published a clip of the encounter to her Instagram account on Saturday.
Tarantino, who in 2018 married Israeli singer and model Daniella Pick, splits his time between Tel Aviv and Hollywood, and has spoken fondly of living in Israel. Pick is the daughter of the late Israeli songwriter and performer Svika Pick.
In the clip, Barney, whose real name is publicly unknown, is seen approaching the director, who is sitting at a corner table by himself.
“Quentin Tarantino!” she says to get his attention.
“Hey,” replies Tarantino, the creator of “Pulp Fiction,” “Kill Bill” and “Inglourious Basterds,” among other critically acclaimed films.
Barney then shouts, “Why are you a Zionist piece of shit?”
Tarantino does not respond and folds his arms.
“Going to Israel?” Barney continues before restaurant workers rush to intervene. At the bottom of the clip, a small image of Tarantino with Israel Defense Forces soldiers can be seen.
Social media wannabe influencer, Crackhead Barney, leads a pro-Hamas mob to harass Quentin Tarantino, a known supporter of Israel (and married to an Israeli) while he is in NYC.
The mob yells “toes!” while pressing their feet against the glass windows of his car (likely in… pic.twitter.com/7cr96Mf88J
— LAWYERGONEROGUE (@lawyergonerogue) June 16, 2024
The clip then cuts to show the 61-year-old Tarantino leaving the premises where a crowd of anti-Israel protesters waiting outside yell at him.
Barney, meanwhile, urges Tarantino to use the n-word, which features repeatedly in some of his most famous movies. Her breast then slips out of her top and is exposed to the crowd and camera.
Beset on all sides by the crowd, Tarantino continues on his way as another man, apparently his driver, moves in to shield him.
“Watch out guys,” Tarantino is heard saying.
“Free Palestine!” Barney shouts as Tarantino finally reaches his limousine.
Barney, along with other protesters, then places her feet against the window of the car while shouting, “Toes, toes, toes” a seeming reference to Tarantino’s penchant for shots of women’s feet in his movies.
Barney has a history of targeting people in public for video clips she posts on social media.
In April, she harassed actor Alec Baldwin at a New York coffee shop, pestering him to say “Free Palestine.”
“‘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 while hurling insults at the actor.
A follow-up interview with British TV host Piers Morgan was peppered with strong language from Barney, who claimed that Baldwin had “maimed” her. She demanded that Morgan also say “Free Palestine.”
Morgan accused her of making light of the war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and eventually cut short the interview.
There has been a sharp spike in anti-Israel activity in the US and other countries against the backdrop of the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The war erupted on October 7, when Hamas led a massive cross-border attack in which terrorists killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted 251 people who were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip.
Israel responded with a military offensive to destroy Hamas, topple its Gaza regime, and free the hostages.
Days after the Hamas attack, Tarantino made a solidarity trip to Israel, visiting IDF soldiers in the south as they prepared to take on Hamas. He also visited the Negev region to meet with survivors of the Hamas from Gaza border communities, and to support local businesses.
In 2022, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem gave him an honorary doctorate.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
