The nation’s largest police union is planning some sort of “surprise” for director Quentin Tarantino in the wake of controversial remarks he made at an anti-police brutality protest in New York City last month.
The “Django Unchained” director called out what he considers the “murder” of unarmed people by law enforcement officers during a rally organized by RiseUpOctober. Since he made the comment, Tarantino has been a target for conservative media critics and police unions around the country who have labeled him a “cop hater” and called for a boycott of his films.
Tarantino has stood firm, telling MSNBC’s Chris Hayes in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, “I was under the impression I was an American and that I had First Amendment rights, and there was no problem with me going to an anti-police brutality protest and speaking my mind. Just because I was at an anti-police brutality protest doesn’t mean I’m anti-police.” Still, his opposition isn’t backing down either. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, plans an “opportunistic” response to the filmmaker.
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“Tarantino has made a good living out of violence and surprise,” Pasco told the publication. “Our offices make a living trying to stop violence, but surprise is not out of the question.”
The Fraternal Order of Police, which is based in Washington, D.C., and has over 330,000 members, claims that the mysterious plan is already coming together. “Something is in the works, but the element of surprise is the most important element,” Pasco told The Hollywood Reporter. “Something could happen anytime between now and [the premiere]. And a lot of it is going to be driven by Tarantino, who is nothing if not predictable.” The premiere to which Pasco refers is the Christmas Day release of Tarantino’s new film, “The Hateful Eight.”
For his part, Tarantino has said he was “surprised” by the backlash his remarks received, which he attributes to his critics’ desire to “start arguments with celebrities” instead of seeking common sense solutions to reduce the number of unarmed people shot and killed by police.
He told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes that he isn’t concerned about the impact of the uproar on his upcoming film in part because “I actually have a whole lot of police officers who are big fans of my work.” He also insists that the studio releasing “The Hateful Eight,” The Weinstein Company, is standing behind him.
“They’ll make up their minds and we’ll see what happens,” he added.
