SAG-AFTRA elections turn ugly as divided factions tussle for a win
Story highlights
Unite for Strength, the SAG-AFTRA union’s ruling party, is calling on Matthew Modine and his MembershipFirst opposition party to publicly denounce the “rhetoric of hate”. MembershipFirst, in turn, is threatening legal action.
Elections for SAG-AFTRA presidency have turned ugly with allegations and threats of lawsuits being thrown at each other between those standing in election. Unite for Strength, the union’s ruling party, is calling on Matthew Modine and his MembershipFirst opposition party to publicly denounce the “rhetoric of hate”. MembershipFirst, in turn, is threatening legal action.
In a tweet, Unite for Strength said: “We challenge Matthew Modine and Membership First to publicly renounce and discontinue harboring the MF (MembershipFirst) Board members who denied George Floyd’s murder, amplified death threats, joined up with the NXIVM cult, threatened to shoot supporters of vaccination requirements, called the January 6th insurrection a ‘set up’ by ‘paid operators,’ falsely spread that Black Lives Matter is a hate group funded by George Soros, and voted against a task force to increase diversity in the stunt community. We condemn this rhetoric of hate.”
As a response, a membershipFirst source told Deadline: “We have no response to this bullsh*t. The lawyers are involved and they’re dealing with it. Let them name names, and they better start putting all of their properties in trust. It’s all bullsh*t. They won’t debate the issues.”
Ben Whitehair, a UFS leader and national board member, joined the thread calling for MembershipFirst to renounce these supporters. “It’s truly devastating to see this kind of behavior in our SAG-AFTRA board rooms. Entirely unacceptable. To my fellow members, please vote @unite4strength so we can bring kindness back to the board room, focus on the issues that matter, and keep us all going back to work.”
Anthony Rapp, who is presidential candidate Fran Drescher’s running mate on the Unite for Strength ticket, also joined the thread. “Yes, please, any leader of @MembershipFirst – especially @MatthewModine & @MsJoelyFisher – please address these concerns.”
MembershipFirst supporters pointed out recently that Drescher, a cancer survivor and president of Cancer Schmancer, has linked 5G, the fifth generation technology for broadband cellular networks, to cancer. She had tweeted in May 2020, “I can’t believe all the commercials for 5G. Gr8 4cancer, harming birds, bees & mor viruses like Corona. Dial it bac. Keep it simple. B a mindFUL consumer the @cancerschmancer way. Make what you buy ur vote & what u don’t buy ur PROTEST. We can do this. God is speaking. Let’s LISTEN.”
It prompted Twitter to post a notice on her tweet, saying: “No, 5G isn’t causing coronavirus. Numerous people have been spreading unsubstantiated stories about 5G technology being linked to the spread of COVID-19. The theory has been debunked by several reputable sources including government officials, and experts in the tech and medical industries.”
