Oct. 2 (UPI) — Jane Fonda and other Hollywood actors, directors, writers and producers relaunched the post-World War II Committee for the First Amendment to fight back against the Trump administration’s targeting of free speech.
Originally formed in 1947 by Hollywood heavyweights Gene Kelly, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and others, the Committee for the First Amendment pushed back against the so-called Red Scare political repression of left-wing individuals during the 1940s and 1950s.
In a statement Wednesday, the Committee for the First Amendment said it was relaunching at a time when it sees similar political oppression emanating from the Trump administration.
“The federal government is once again engaged in a coordinated campaign to silence critics in the government, the media, the judiciary, academia and the entertainment industry,” the more than 500 entertainment professionals said in a statement.
“We refuse to stand by and let that happen. Free speech and free expression are the inalienable rights of every American of afll backgrounds and political beliefs — no matter how liberal or conservative you may be.”
President Donald Trump and his second administration have faced repeated accusations of using executive authority to suppress opposition and dissent, both within the federal government and broader civil society.
Critics point to Trump’s use of executive orders and investigations targeting political adversaries; immigration enforcement measures, including deportations and visa revocations, which a judge on Tuesday ruled was used to squelch free speech of foreign students’ support for Palestine; executive orders that restrict the rights and recognition of transgender people and directives pressuring universities to abandon inclusive policies or risk penalties.
Following last month’s fatal shooting of conservative activist and provocateur Charlie Kirk, Trump — who campaigned on promises of retribution against his political opponents — also pleaded to intensify crackdowns on what it described as left-wing political violence, worrying critics he might use it to target peaceful protesters.
By the end of the committee’s launch day on Wednesday, Fonda said they had received “hundreds and hundreds of people” in the entertainment industry have called and emailed to join them.
“What it shows me is our industry is ready to mobilize, to resist autocracy, to resist attacks on our fundamental freedoms,” Fonda said in a recorded statement published to Instagram.
“We’re artists. We’re creatives. Freedom of expression is essential to what we do. Many of our fathers and grandfathers fought wars to defend this right and we can’t just sit back and let this happen.”
The White House responded to the launch by stating that Fonda is “free to share whatever bad opinions she wants.”
“As someone who actually knows what it’s like to be censored, President Trump is a strong supporter of free speech and Democrat allegations to the contrary are so false, they’re laughable,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
Trump “is focused on left-wing organizations that have fueled violent riots, organized attacks against law enforcement officers, coordinated illegal doxing campaigns, arranged drop points for weapons and riot materials, incited violence all across America.
