An anonymous open letter helped successfully lobby a Hollywood union against supporting Israel. Here’s why we wrote it.
We are the Hollywood union members behind the anonymous open letter asking our guilds to resist continuing pressure by certain high-profile members to make statements in support of Israel amid its ongoing siege of Gaza. On October 21st, the Writers Guild of America West board stated that the guild would not be commenting on the ongoing crisis in Israel and Gaza, heeding our call that the statements being proposed would be divisive and would not represent the opinions and views of a large number of Writers Guild members. They added that as a labor union, the WGA is in no position to comment on all external geo-political matters.
As of this writing, our letter bears the initials of over 300 union members across the WGA, DGA and SAG-AFTRA, many of whom are Jewish and most of whom only heard about our letter through word of mouth.
Israel has officially killed over 5,000 Palestinians, over 2,000 of them children, and that number is unfortunately likely to be dwarfed by the time you are reading this.
We need an immediate ceasefire.
Despite the mounting death count in Gaza and a clear diversity of views, a group of powerful showrunners and members of the WGA insist upon using their influence to brow beat the WGA into falling in line like the DGA and SAG-AFTRA, urging the guild to only condemn the actions Hamas took on October 7th.
They suggest that no comment from the guild is an unequivocal endorsement of terrorism. This is complete and utter ignorance.
Some members behind the pressure campaign insist that their position does not amount to calling for supporting Israel. When two entities are in conflict, how could only condemning the misdeeds of one side while the other is in the middle of aggressing be anything other than supporting the aggressor?
This is especially true given that our tax dollars fund Israel and not Hamas; Israel’s assault relies on keeping the public’s attention on what happened on October 7th and ignoring the terrible conditions it imposed on Gaza before or after; and that anyone who condemns Israel’s actions in this country is met with swift censorship and threats to their livelihood–specifically in Hollywood.
Just this week, one of Hollywood’s biggest agents was pushed out of a leadership position for resharing the simple statement: “You’re currently learning who supports genocide.” Those who support this extreme example of censorship claim that the use of the word “genocide” does not apply to the current situation in Gaza. Statements by Israeli officials and their mouthpieces, such as that they are “fighting human animals,” or that they intend to “flatten” all of Gaza contradict this claim. Article II of the UN Convention describes genocide as a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part.
But whether you believe genocide to be the current truth of what’s happening in Gaza or not, as a nation, we pride ourselves in the first amendment. The ability to use freedom of speech and thought, and to be able to express our ideas without fear of retribution, is under threat.
Right now, a dangerous level of fear is palpable across all levels of our guilds. Some of our signatories have reported being fired, harassed, doxxed, and threatened with blacklisting for speaking out on behalf of Palestinians, and we’ve received threatening emails from some powerful players in the industry simply for expressing the barest of our opinions in the open letter.
One industry professional, in a meeting with one of our writers, suggested that executives are “watching” and monitoring social media, and would reconsider working with anyone who blatantly supports the Palestinian cause. Rumors of a Hollywood blacklist are emerging, and even more workers in our industry are being investigated by their employers for simply resharing information.
This is amounting to a new era of McCarthyism.
We are committed to anonymity not because we do not stand strongly behind our statement, but because we know that we can be silenced with the full support of this government. Hollywood in particular is not designed to protect those who speak against the powerful, and we know that it is our duty to speak the truth anyway. Many of us are mid or lower level workers, and have fought hard to break into an industry that often ignores our voices. But today, on this issue, we will not be ignored.
Our letter asks the bare minimum, that “if our guilds release such statements, they must be rooted in a deep commitment to justice and human rights FOR ALL.” That this is at all controversial among certain members of our guilds shows how entirely absurd their position is.
That this absurd position has so much sway over the DGA and SAG-AFTRA is proof of where power lies in this industry, and how important it is that we continue to challenge this horrifying reality before more people are bullied into stepping down from their positions or refused work because of their personal political views.
Here’s the reality:
- Israel’s current assault and ongoing siege of Gaza can be understood as violating international laws by preventing food, water, and medical supplies from being admitted into the strip. Their actions have been condemned by the United Nations and international aid organizations, and have led to the total collapse of a healthcare system serving over 2 million people.
- Israel can be considered an occupying force that has brutally oppressed Palestinians for 75 years. Resistance to an occupying force is endorsed under international law.
- Israel currently holds over 10,000 Palestinians prisoners, many without trial, and hundreds of them are children. Israel has also admitted to finding the release of Israeli hostages concerning because it might delay the deadly ground invasion of Gaza they have planned. Palestinian political prisoners are being killed as we speak. Any conversation about hostages should include these facts.
But we didn’t even ask our guild to acknowledge these facts. We simply asked in our open letter that our guilds speak up for all civilians and against all atrocities committed against them, whether they be Palestinian or Israeli, or not speak at all.
Those supporting this pressure campaign want you to believe that you must value some lives more than others based on their ethnicity and nationality, and that if you don’t you are evil. The first part is pure and simple racism, and the second is absolutely ridiculous.
What we should all be fighting for is an end to the bombardment of Gaza and an immediate ceasefire to prevent any further deaths of innocent civilians. We stand by our letter and call upon any other Hollywood union members who are committed to the bare minimum–the idea that all civilian life should be valued equally–to stand with us and add your initials. Please keep speaking out knowing that you are not alone, and you are on the right side of history (and they can’t fire all of us!).
We call on the DGA and SAG-AFTRA to retract their statements that amount to the support of Israeli lives over the lives of Palestinians, and we call on all guilds to reaffirm their commitment to protecting every member’s economic and professional position, even or especially if they speak out on behalf of the powerless. Professional protection is the true purpose of a guild, after all.
If you are a Hollywood worker facing professional threats for speaking out in support of Palestinians, DSA-LA is organizing on your behalf. Email them at: hollywoodlabor@dsa-la.org
You can also contact Palestine Legal, which works with a network of organizations, attorneys and advocacy groups to respond to requests for legal and advocacy assistance, and to document incidents of suppression. They will coordinate with this network to provide you with the best possible pro-bono (free) legal advice, representation or referral, when it is within their Scope of Services.
Update: Due to popular demand, we have added the option to add your support as an IATSE/TAG or pre-WGA member.
