Hollywood Stars Establish Organization to Defend Freedom of Expression Against Trump

Veteran actress Jane Fonda (87) has led Hollywood stars to establish an organization aimed at defending freedom of expression. This marks the first such organization founded by Hollywood stars in about 80 years since they established a similar group against McCarthyism in the 1940s.

According to U.S. CNN and Hollywood media 'Variety' on the 1st (local time), Jane Fonda recently announced the launch of the 'Committee for the First Amendment'. Fonda stated that this committee is an organization that works to combat attacks on freedom of expression.

Fonda emphasized, "The McCarthy era ended when Americans across the political spectrum finally united to defend the principles of the Constitution against oppressive forces. That force has returned, and now it is our turn to stand together."

She stated, "The ability to criticize, protest, and even mock those in power is an inalienable right of Americans, regardless of how progressive or conservative you are. This ability is the foundation of what America has always aspired to be."

Explaining the purpose of the organization, Fonda said, "Now is the time to relaunch the 'Committee for the First Amendment'." She added, "My father, Henry Fonda, participated in that very committee during the McCarthy era when countless artists were silenced or imprisoned for their words and works."

Jane Fonda's father, the famous actor Henry Fonda (1905–1982), first founded the 'Committee for the First Amendment' in 1947 with stars like Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland. At that time, the committee engaged in activities to defend freedom of expression and resist government oppression.

The newly relaunched committee by Jane Fonda has over 550 Hollywood celebrities expressing their intention to participate. Aaron Sorkin, Barbra Streisand, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, John Legend, Julianne Moore, Kerry Washington, Natalie Portman, Pedro Pascal, Ben Stiller, Sean Penn, Spike Lee, Viola Davis, Winona Ryder, Whoopi Goldberg, Billie Eilish, and others have joined.

Recently, the issue of freedom of expression has emerged as a major topic in the U.S. The incident began when a talk show hosted by famous broadcaster Jimmy Kimmel was suspended due to his remarks regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

After Kimmel sparked controversy with his comments criticizing and mocking the conservative camp related to the Kirk assassination, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the broadcasting regulatory authority, demanded the suspension of the Kimmel show and pressured broadcasters. Subsequently, ABC and some local channel-owned broadcasters temporarily suspended their broadcasts before recently resuming them.

Organizations advocating for freedom of expression criticize that the U.S. government has reached a level of censoring broadcast content, calling it a "new McCarthyism."