Edward Norton calls for 'nationwide economic strike' after Alex Pretti shooting

PARK CITY, UTAH: Actor Edward Norton is calling for a nationwide economic strike following the fatal shooting of an anti-ICE protester in Minneapolis.

The death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at a Minneapolis VA hospital, has jolted several Hollywood celebrities. Pretti was killed Saturday during a confrontation with federal agents, a case the Trump administration has branded “domestic terrorism."

Norton calls for a nationwide strike

Norton, appearing at The Hollywood Reporter’s studio at the Sundance Film Festival, acknowledged that small talk has become nearly impossible.

“These days it’s: ’What are we gonna do about mass Gestapo shooting American citizens?’” Norton said. “We are sitting here talking about movies while an illegal army is being mounted against US citizens.”

The actor insisted that the ongoing tension and rhetoric were impossible to ignore. He pointed to the large-scale labor stoppage and mass protest action held on January 23 across Minnesota in direct opposition to the Trump administration's aggressive federal immigration enforcement.

“These are not normal times,” Norton said. “We have extrajudicial assaults on Americans and humans going on a daily basis now, and it’s not okay. We cannot act like this is not happening. What they’re doing in Minnesota with the strike needs to expand. I think we should be talking about a national general economic strike until this is over.”

The comments landed as Minneapolis protests continue following Pretti’s death and questions mount over the use of federal force during demonstrations.

Sundance turns political

Norton wasn’t alone at Sundance. Actors Natalie Portman and Olivia Wilde also used the festival’s red carpet to address the shooting, both wearing “ICE OUT” pins during appearances.

Portman framed the moment as a painful contradiction between the public and those in power. “I could not be prouder to be American right now, by the way the Americans are acting,” Portman told Deadline. “And I could not be sadder... with the way the government is behaving.”

Wilde echoed that sentiment while promoting her film 'The Invite.'

“We’re all here getting to celebrate something really beautiful and hopeful in film storytelling. But the world is hurting right now, and this country is hurting. And it’s appalling,” Wilde told Variety ahead of the film’s Friday night premiere.

“I’m appalled and sickened. We can’t go another day accepting this as our new norm,” she added. “People are being murdered, and I don’t want to normalize seeing that violence—on the Internet or on film. It’s hideous. If we can do anything to support the movement to cast ICE out and delegitimize this criminal organization, then that’s what we should be doing.”

Celebrities take it online

Beyond Park City, the reaction rippled across social media as stars including Hacks actress Megan Stalter and Oscar winner Glenn Close posted emotional messages calling for what they described as a moral reckoning.

“I have never ever been a Republican, but I have loved God and Jesus my whole entire life,” Stalter shared. “If you are someone who identifies as Christian but supports ICE or the President, I want you to remember that Jesus was executed for challenging the system… Our government is killing people, and they are lying to us. We have to abolish ICE.”

Close commented on the broader status quo of the country, placing responsibility squarely on leadership.

“I have watched our democracy being systematically disemboweled and torn apart along with the institutions which... have stabilized our society,” Close said. “I am outraged and sickened by what is happening under the Trump regime. The cruelty, inhumanity, and arrogance… and now, the cold-blooded murder of American citizens.”