Shia LaBeouf arrested during anti-Trump performance 'He Will Not Divide Us'

Actor and performer Shia LaBeouf was arrested in New York during his ongoing protest performance 'He Will Not Divide Us,' launched on Inauguration Day 2017. The live-streamed piece, installed near the Museum of Moving Image, invites participants to chant 'He will not divide us' in front of a camera broadcasting 24/7 for four years. LaBeouf was charged with assault and harassment after pushing a passerby who shouted 'Hitler didn't do anything wrong.' The performance, co-created with British artist Luke Turner and Finnish artist Nastja Säde Rönkkö, was inaugurated by Jaden Smith. The arrest occurred amid broader tensions between the arts community and President Trump, who had threatened to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of federal spending cuts. The NEA budget has ranged from $97.6 million in 2000 to $167 million in 2010, with $148 million in 2016, though inflation-adjusted figures are half of 1990s levels. The proposed cuts remain under evaluation, with even some Republicans expected to oppose such drastic measures.