Spike Lee Was Restrained During Yankee Stadium Dinner Over Palestine Heckler

Spike Lee‘s pregame dinner at Yankee Stadium became a tense scene Wednesday after a confrontation involving an Ill-mannered heckler prompted people around him to physically restrain the acclaimed filmmaker. The person reportedly asked Lee vaguely about Palestine, using an obscenity.

Lee was dining before the New York Yankees faced the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 30 when an unidentified person began recording him at the restaurant. Sports radio host Andy Slater first reported the encounter and posted video showing the 69-year-old director visibly agitated as several people intervened.

The short 11-second clip does not show any punches being thrown. It shows people surrounding Lee while another man appears to motion for someone to move away from the area.

Slater reported that the person filming Lee asked how he felt about Palestine however, another account added to the report.

The New York Post reported that Lee had initially been friendly with people nearby and posed for photographs before the situation deteriorated. According to the newspaper, the individual filming Lee allegedly asked the director to repeat an obscenity directed at Palestine. The report said Lee became angry and sought help from security.

The person was reportedly removed from the venue.

Neither Lee nor the Yankees have commented on the confrontation.

The Palestine question is loaded with context.

During the NBA All-Star Game in February, the Oscar-winning filmmaker wore a keffiyeh-patterned sweater and carrying a bag with Palestinian flag imagery. The clothing generated criticism from some pro-Israel people. Israeli-born NBA star Deni Avdija was participating in his first All-Star Game.

Lee later directly addressed speculation surrounding his clothing.

“There has been some conjecture about what I wore to the games on Saturday and Sunday. The clothes I wore are symbols of my concern for the Palestinian children and civilians, and my utmost belief in human dignity for all humankind,” Lee wrote.

“What I wore was not intended as a gesture of hostility to Jewish people or to support violence against anyone, nor was it intended as a comment on the significance of Deni being an an All-Star.”

Lee also praised Avdija afterward and said he had not previously known the player’s background.