Quentin Tarantino‘s estranged father has spoken out against his son for referring to police officers as “murderers.”
“I love my son and have great respect for him as an artist, but he is dead wrong in calling police officers, particularly in New York City where I grew up, murderers,” Tony Tarantino said in a statement released by the New York Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.
“He is a passionate man and that comes out in his art, but sometimes he lets his passion blind him to the facts and to reality,” he continued. “I wish he would take a hard, dispassionate look at the facts before jumping to conclusions and making these kinds of hurtful mistakes that dishonor an honorable profession.”
PBA president Patrick J. Lynch thanked Tony for his support. “It is not easy criticizing someone you care about. But his son, Quentin Tarantino, has insulted the very people who protect his freedom of speech and who facilitate the making of his films,” Lynch said.
Quentin has stated in multiple interviews that his father left him and his mother when Quentin was very young and has had no contact with him since.
The “Hateful Eight” director has faced mounting criticism ever since appearing at a rally against police brutality last weekend. Police unions in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles have all called for boycotts of Tarantino’s films, with “Hateful Eight” due to premiere on Christmas Day.