Finally, WGA condemns “atrocities committed by Hamas” and apologizes for “enormous pain” caused by past silence on terror attacks

After weeks of outrage among members over the silence surrounding the terrorist attack against Israel, the Writers Guild is finally speaking out.

“All of us in the guild leadership are shocked by Hamas’s atrocities on October 7^eWGA West CEO Meredith Stiehm, Vice President Michele Mulroney and Treasurer Betsy Thomas said in an email sent to members this morning.

Read the full letter from WGA West below.

The surprise attacks took more than 1,400 fathers and hundreds hostage, with only four released in recent days. In response, Israel, with strong American support, repeatedly carried out heavy airstrikes on Gaza, killing thousands. In addition, the government in Tel Aviv ordered Palestinians to evacuate Gaza City as the IDF mass on the border for an expected ground invasion, deepening the humanitarian crisis receiving little aid.

“The killing of so many innocent people in Israel is an abomination,” WGA leaders continued Tuesday, in language that led top showrunners and others to believe they would never leave the fold, despite statements of support from the DGA , SAG-AFTRA. and others. “We deeply mourn the death of innocent Palestinians who fell victim to the violence in Gaza. We have compassion for all our members who have been directly and indirectly affected. We hope that wisdom prevails in the region – and for the safety of all innocent people affected by the increasing violence. “

While other guilds spoke out about the attacks, companies like Disney, Comcast and Skydance donated millions to humanitarian aid, and top talent, executives like Shari Redstone, Dana Walden, Jeffery Katsenberg and others voiced their support for Israel, The WGA West and WGA East insisted they would not comment officially on the tragedy in Israel. In a letter published exclusively by Deadline on October 21, Steihm told showrunners who expressed anger at the lack of support: “Like the members themselves, the board’s positions differed and we found one consensus out of reach wash.” For these reasons, we have decided not to make a public statement.”

The subsequent backlash, including the firing of longtime guild member and hurricane scriptwriter Dan Gordon this morning, changes that perspective significantly – whether it’s enough at this point remains to be seen.

However, some top writers said in online chat and directly that they now wanted both a show of support and an apology – which they apparently got.

The WGA East has still not changed its stance of not issuing a statement. Aware that it “may seem inadequate to some of you,” WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and other leaders said on Oct. 23 that the guild would not say anything official about the issue — for political reasons and otherwise to avoid division among members. avoid. .

Read the full WGA West letter here:

Dear members,

The Guild’s decision not to comment on the events of 7 October^e caused pain to our members that we did not intend. We believe it is important to explain both our process and our attempt to remedy the situation, and to state unequivocally that anti-Semitism and Islamophobia have no place in this Guild.

We made no public statement in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attacks, not because we weren’t shocked by the atrocities, but because it seemed out of reach for an American writers’ union to comment. It was and is a difficult balance. As a guild we have made statements that may be beyond our reach on other occasions and would like to provide some transparency about our thoughts here. These cases mainly fell under the umbrella of defending American social justice or freedom of expression and, where possible, related to the working life of writers. But the list of national and international tragedies on which we have not commented is long. For example, we did not comment on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or on terrorist attacks in Somalia, Pakistan or elsewhere. For a union, determining its influence on national and global affairs can be an inexact science.

Our board is diverse in composition and viewpoints. The Council’s views on whether to make a statement did not fall along religious or denominational lines and reflected what we saw among our members as a whole and in the wider community. When we made the difficult decision not to comment, it was not because we were paralyzed by factionalism or because we were hiding hateful views. We are American union leaders who are aware of our limitations and humbled by the scope of this conflict. However, we understand that this has caused enormous pain and we sincerely regret it.

All of us in the Guild leadership were shocked by Hamas’s atrocities on October 7th. The killing of so many innocent people in Israel is an abomination. We deeply mourn the death of innocent Palestinians who fell victim to the violence in Gaza. We have compassion for all our members who have been directly and indirectly affected. We hope that wisdom prevails in the region – and for the safety of all innocent people affected by the increasing violence.

As we move forward, we ask everyone to be respectful and patient with each other during this terrible time. What we all write and say must not endanger each other’s writers. Thanks to everyone who contacted us.

Of course, all this has no impact on the Israeli and Palestinian people. What they need from us is not an expression of our anger and mutual distrust, but a shared commitment to peace and the value of every human life.

solidary,

Meredith Stiehm, president
Michele Mulroney, Vice President
Betsy Thomas, secretary and treasurer