WASHINGTON, United States – American actress Jane Fonda and hundreds of Hollywood celebrities have revived a Cold War-era protest movement in the United States demanding freedom of expression.
They considered that the administration of current President Donald Trump is waging a coordinated campaign to silence critics.
Among the most prominent signatories of the call to restore the “First Amendment Committee” founded by Fonda, who number about 550, are actors Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Sean Penn, and director Spike Lee.
freedom of expression
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees and protects freedom of expression.
“This committee was originally established during the McCarthy era,” a statement recalled.
It was a dark period in which the federal government oppressed and persecuted American citizens on the basis of their political beliefs.
“These forces have returned,” the statement added. It is our turn to unite to defend our constitutional rights.
The father of actress and activist Henry Fonda was a leading member of the first First Amendment Committee in 1947.
In the late 1940s, with the outbreak of the Cold War, strict measures were taken in the United States targeting anyone involved in “hostile activities,” especially in Hollywood.
These actions culminated in the campaign launched by Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin against communists and those he believed sympathized with them.
The core committee, which also included Judy Garland, Humphrey Bogart and Frank Sinatra, denounced the government’s repression and harassment.
ceaseless struggle
The movement’s website noted that the committee’s restructuring “is not a warning, but rather the beginning of an ongoing struggle.”
The announcement comes just days after Disney’s ABC briefly suspended the comedian under pressure from the Donald Trump administration.
But the comedian, who suspended his show after his positions on the assassination of pro-Trump influencer Charlie Kirk, returned to the screen last week.
“The government’s threat to silence a comedian the president doesn’t like is against American values,” Kimmel said to standing ovation.
The reconstituted committee pledged to “stand united, fiercely united, in defense of freedom of expression”.
Hollywood companies have also warned against giving in to government pressure in the future.
