Under increasing fire from law enforcement groups, director Quentin Tarantino broke his silence Tuesday and said his remarks condemning police brutality had been misrepresented to ?demonize? him and deflect attention away from the issue.
?All cops are not murderers,? Tarantino told The Times in his first public response to the controversy. ?I never said that. I never even implied that.?
Police unions across the country, including ones representing officers in Los Angeles and Orange County, have called for a boycott of Tarantino?s upcoming movie, ?The Hateful Eight,? following remarks the filmmaker made at an Oct. 24 rally in New York to call attention to those killed in police shootings.
?I?m a human being with a conscience,? Tarantino said at the rally. ?And when I see murder I cannot stand by. And I have to call the murdered the murdered and I have to call the murderers the murderers.?
The threatened boycott could dim prospects for Tarantino?s new film, which is set for a Christmas release and has been expected to be a critical and commercial success for Tarantino and his longtime distributor, the Weinstein Co. Several movies beset by controversy in recent years have seen either their box office or awards recognition dented.
Tarantino said his remarks at the rally last month were aimed at police officers who have been involved in unwarranted shootings of civilians.
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Quentin Tarantino addresses police boycotts: 'I'm not being intimidated' - LA Times