Oscar and Bafta Award-winning actress and activist Jane Fonda is reviving the First Amendment committee as the constitutional rights to grant freedom of speech and the press are under attack in the United States.
The reconsidered committee is based on a precursor from nearly 80 years ago when the Hollywood Stars protested the anti-communist hearing that day. It issued a statement signed by more than 550 figures in the entertainment industry. It denies what the US federal government calls “a coordinated campaign” “to silence critics of the government, media, judicial, academia and entertainment industry.”
At the time of writing, signers included Aaron Sorkin, Helen Mirren, Pedro Pascal, Ben Stiller, Spike Lee, Alex Gibney, Barbra Streisand, JJ Abrams, Lisa Joy, Ali Abasi and Whoopi Goldberg.
To read the full statement, scroll down
Since becoming president for the second time, Donald Trump has been trying to silence critics of the media, education, entertainment, science and law. He recently denounced ABC talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy Kimmel Live! It was temporarily suspended after comments were made in the wake of the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The committee’s statement referenced the McCarthy era, named after Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who gained infamy as the face of the US government’s anti-communist witch hunt in the early 1950s.
“McCarthy’s era ended when Americans across the political realm finally came together and rose to stand up for constitutional principles against forces of oppression, and these troops are back.
In a letter urging people to sign the statement, Fonda said: “I am 87. I saw war, oppression, protest, repulsion. I was celebrated and branded the enemy of the nation. But this is the most frightening moment of my life.
Fonda is famous for her activism, and caused controversy when she visited North Vietnam in the height of the Vietnamese War in 1972 when she emphasized the light-forming Vietnamese characters under US military power. Her actions proved to be divisive, and upon her return she was labelled variously as a hero and traitor, earning “Hanoi Jane.”
The original First Amendment committee was established in 1947 to support authors blacklisted in “Hollywood 10.” Members of the committee included Fonda’s father Henry Fonda, Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra.
The committee will obtain names from the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which protects five freedoms from government interference. It is the right to petition the government for religion, speech, reporting, peaceful assembly and relief for grievances.
The complete statement from the committee is as follows:
Today we will reboot the committee for the First Amendment.
This committee was originally created during the McCarthy era. This is a dark time when the federal government suppressed and persecuted American citizens because of political beliefs. They targeted elected officials, government officials, academics and artists. They were blacklisted, harassed, silenced, and even jailed.
The McCarthy era ended when Americans from the entire political spectrum finally gathered together and rose up for constitutional principles against forces of repression.
Those troops are back. And it is our turn to stand together to defend our constitutional rights.
The federal government is once again engaged in a coordinated campaign to silence critics in the government, media, judicial, academia and entertainment industry.
We refuse to stand up and let it happen. Free speech and free expression are the inevitable rights of all Americans of all backgrounds and political beliefs. The ability to criticize, question, protest, and even sneer people in power is the basis of what America has always wanted.
We understand that this is a horrifyingly confusing moment for many people. We recognize that we represent only one of the many groups currently under threat. Beyond all kinds of classrooms, libraries, factories, businesses and workplaces, Americans in every life also face intimidation and censorship.
I know that solidarity and strength of numbers are powerful. We stand together in fierce unity to defend freedom of speech and expression from this assault. This is not a partisan issue. That’s why we encourage all Americans who care about the first revision, the cornerstone of our democracy, and all artists around the world who look to America as a beacon of freedom to join us.
And to those who benefit from our work, threaten the livelihoods of everyday workers, succumb to government censorship, seeking wild threats: we see you, history will not forget. This is not the last you’ve heard from us.
In solidarity,
Jane Fonda
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